Life Note
by Sanosuke-Inara
Summary: When Law, a psychotic man who possesses a Death Note, attempts to destroy the worlds' balance, Soji, a young government detective must use the Life Note to revive the worlds greatest detectives to face this evil. :May Contain Romance: OC and UOC cast.
1. Chapter 1: Open

**Yo! Alright, so, I just joined , hoping to spread my ideas across the web. After an entire 2 excruciating days of wait,(who's dumb idea was that anyway?) I'm finally able to post my story here on the site.**

**Now, I understand that there are a lot of other Life Note stories on the web seeing as multiple people have thought of it before, but I assure you that this one is like no other. Is that a good or bad thing? Well, I'll let the reader come to that verdict.**

**Anyway, the main character of the story is actually an original, Soji Ikara. Although, multiple characters from the actual manga/anime will enter the story soon, such as those whom were listed in the "Character" category of the summary headlines. Anyway, there isn't much left for me to say about the story(right now, at least.) other than: I hope you enjoy reading, and remember, reviews are always welcome. ;)**

**Note: Pictures for all original characters/main unoriginal characters will be posted in Chapter 3.("Rules of the Life Note" does not count as Chapter 2.)**

--

Kazahana, Japan.

This was the town. Unlike other cities in Japan, this was a town always mobilizied. You'd be hard pressed to find a time in this city where excitement and action wasn't around every corner you took. It was a lively town, one that hosted some the most powerful nobles and filthy scum in all of Japan. In a sense, you could think of it as Japan's very own Vegas: What happens in Kazahana, stays in Kazahana.

One thing that Kazahana was best known for, though, was its sense of danger. Crimes occured so rapidly that most news stations fail to keep up with the pace. And it didn't even matter who were potential victims, from the sweetest of old ladies to the cutest of young kids, if you lived in the city of Kazahana, you were in danger. Although, something was soon to befall the people of Kazahana. This danger was one whom's power would arise from the bowels of hell. A beam of hope would arises from the ashes of the danger, although. With a power such as this, though, the danger is sure to be coupled by a savior.

A savior whom, in his hands, will soon hold power from god himself.

--

"Yo man! The group's still on for tomorrow, right?"

Another thing that Kazahana is known for is entertainment. At one of its most popular spots for entertainment, Shibara Cinemas, a large group of men and women all in their late 20's. Walking away from the group was a man of the age of 28, probably the oldest of the group. He somewhat didn't fit in, seeming a tad bit less reckless than his companions. This man's name was Soji Ikara.

"Hmm?" he said, turning around to the man who spoke to him.

"We're still on, right? That new Hiashi Himari movie is comin' out tomorrow, and you know how much you love her!" the man said, patting Soji on the back.

"Damn...looks like I'm gonna miss out pretty bad, huh?" Soji said, backing away from him. "Sorry, but you know my job. It's going to keep me pretty busy tomorrow, so...another time, I guess?"

The group looked to him, murmurs spreading throughout the lot. "Um, yeah, whatever. Later." The group headed off in the opposite direction of Soji.

All he could really do was stare, feeling somewhat guilty for walking out on his friends like that. _Not like I have a choice or anything...what am I to do? _And with that, he was on his way, not wasting another thought on the subject. As he walked through the dark, damp alleyways on the street, all Soji could think about is what his job would bring him tomorrow.

You see, although he may not look like it from first appearances, Soji Ikara is actually a very important man to Japan. He works for the government as a detective on the multiple crimes that happen in this city daily, and has close ties with some of the nations' most powerful people. It was because of his stature in Japan that he couldn't simply let loose like his friends often did. Behind this mask of superiority and organization rested a wild, burning spirit. Regardless of how hard his looks tried to fool people of his true self, his personality always seemed to shine through. He was young compared to all of the other men and women he worked with, so the situation was weird enough. But to counteract with his wild spirit, to somewhat balance his ruthlessness, he was smart.

Very smart.

He was much smarter than any of the people whom he worked with. Outside of those whom worked as private investigators, he was probably one of the smartest men in Japan. "If only he could keep a lock on that attitude, he'd reach true success." That's what people say about him often, behind his back. But he was what he was, and that was never going to change.

Riiing...Riiing...

It was his cellphone.

"Hello?" Soji said after ransacking his pockets for the darn thing.

'Soji, it's Amara.' Takashi Amara, a man whom Soji works with in the government. He's probably the oldest of all the members of their division, and one of the wisest. 'Listen, Soji, where are you right now?'

"About a block or two from Shibara Cinemas...what's the deal, Takashi?"

'Ok, good. I need you to come to the G-D office as quickly as possible. And before you open your mouth to ask questions, don't. There's some serious things going and we need everyone here, right this minute.'

Soji knew that whatever was going had to be of some kind of importance. Takashi Amara was not one to talk so hastily or to give orders so...rudely. "Yeah, I'll be right there." Before Soji even took the time to replace his phone is pocket, he was off, dashing down the sidewalk.

It was a few minutes into his dash that he tripped on something and ate a face full of sidewalk. "Fuckin'...just my luck, I guess...hmm?" He takes time to look back on what he had tripped on, suprised to see it was simply some ragged old notebook. "A notebook..." Seeing that the reason he was called to the office was so urgent, odds are he would have to take a few notes. He patted himself down to check for one, and failing that, he quickly snatched the notebook up. "Eh, nobody'll miss it."

Before taking off again, Soji took a quick glance at the notebook. The words "Life Note" were written in a large Harrington font on the front. "D' hell?" His mind, regardless of its urge to look inside, knew that time would only be wasted that way. Once again, he was off toward the Government Detective Office.

--

Dashing through the halls of the office, Soji was watched by all bystanders. A few guards yelled stop, but that was only before realizing who it was, exactly. On a large double door, the letters "SF" were printed on a luminescent golden plate. Soji barged through the door, panting and gaining the attention of all those whom resided in it.

"A-alright! I'm here! What's the deal?!"

"Soji..." Takashi said, walking over to the boy. "Take a seat. Everyone, take their seats, I've recieved information from our fellow countires of tragic occurances." The group all quickly make it to their seats.

_Somethin' is up...somethin' serious..._

Takashi stood at the head of the large table the group conversed at, clearing his throat. "Tonight, the worlds' countries' all suffer a severe loss. It has been reported that today, a worldwide crisis has occured. The leaders of nearly all the most important countries have been killed by heart attacks as of tonight."

A quick moment of silence followed murmurs of concern and shock trailed closely after Takashi's words.

"The President of the United States, Prime Minister of Europe, Austraila, Queen of England, and many more...even our very own Prime Minister Kantei. They've all been reported dead."

"B-but that's simply impossible! For all of the world's main leaders to just choke out of nowhere..." A man of the force yelled toward Takashi.

"And to all die so suddenly...of heart attacks? It sounds so familiar...could it be another Kira?"

"Don't jump to conclusions like that so suddenly!" Soji yelled to the woman whom spoke of Kira.

"Well, what else can it be?! There's never been another power such as that in history, other than that of Kira!"

Before the argument evolved into something greater, Takashi intervened. "Quiet! We are not here today to deeply discuss this manner! We all know that Kira was wiped off this earth 2 entire years ago, it's highly unprobable that your assumption is correct. Now, all of you, I did not bring you all here today to begin an investigation on this! The nations of the world whom have succumbed to this loss, including our own, have begun setting meetings with all forces with their nations. In 2 days, Japan will hold a nationwide meeting do discuss this case. As for now, though, there's nothing we can do to counteract this. Go home, all of you." It was clear that Takashi was attempting to wear a mask of bravery before his comrades, but was just as frightened by the occurance as anyone else.

Soji was the first to walk out of the room, heeding Takashi's orders. It seemed like his life...it was soon to get a lot more complicated, to say the least.

--

Soji's home.

He arrived there at around 11:00 PM. Being single, he lived in an apartment in the Shibara Complex. Shibara Inc. seemed to own everything in this god forsaken town, once when he thought about it.

When he reached his room, he sat at his desk and layed his head down, contemplating what exactly had happened. With the thoughts rushing through his head, it was hard for him to use his exceptional brains to think of explanations for the conflict. He layed the notebook on the table, and as he did, took another glance at the name.

"Life Note..." Staying calm, hoping that it would possibly give him enough time to clear his thoughts, Soji opened the notebook. Inside the book rested a golden halo. "W-what the hell?"

Attempting to grab the halo result in failure, as his hand seemed to not phase it at all. "A hologram?" Hologram would be the logical explanation for this, but little Soji know that logics did not apply in this situation.

Just as he was second thinking reading the notebook, the halo began to rise into the air. And not only that. Under the halo, an angelic figure appeared, exiting the notebook and rising to the ceiling of the room.

Soji was calm under most situations, so, keeping his cool compared to what others might do, he slowly stepped back, staring at the sight in wonderment. "Oh my...god..."

The figure began to open its' eyes. It store upon Soji with a soft, welcoming look. "...Soji Ikara..."

"W-what?" He had lost control of his senses. He was still in a state of utter shock, but his body seemed to respond all on its' own.

The being takes a look down at the book. "Hmm...the Life Note remains empty...you've just found it, I suppose?"

"Life Note?"

"You can read, correct? That's the name of this book that rests upon your wooden...structure."

Soji, still as hesitant as ever, takes a step back toward his desk. "Life Note..." he grabs the book and quickly moves away from the figure, looking at the front of the book. "W-what is the deal with this book? And...what's the deal with you?!"

"It's a note of Life. Ironic, isn't it?" The being swoops down toward Soji until the two of them are face to face. "And I...am an angel."

"An...angel?"

"The book that you hold in your hands at this moment is titled the Life Note. With that, you've been given power similiar to god himself...with it, you have the ability to revive those whom have long ago left the world of the living."

Soji knew that he had to draw a line somewhere. He pointed toward the 'angel,' glaring. "That's impossible! You...your shittin' me!"

"Please, do not use profanity when around a being of heaven. I thought even you would know that much."

"Hell, I'll say whatever I want! N-now get out of my room!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do that. Well...not at the moment."

"What do you mean?" His nerves were reaching a dangerous level.

"I could simply wait around...explain this ordeal to you. Or...you could open the notebook and find out yourself. Open...the Life Note.

Soji had no words to say. His body was once again acting upon instincts...and his instincts told him to obey the creature.

So he opened it. The first page...of both the book, and a new chapter of his life, were now open.


	2. Rules of the Life Note

Dear reader,

What you hold in your hands right now is nothing but an illusion. To you, and to those whom surround you, this seems like a normal notebook, one that you may use frequently each day for a number of reasons. I'm here to tell you that this notebook, though, is nothing of the sort. What your eyes are gazing right now is, by no means, a normal notebook. For one reason or another, your creator has blessed you with a power like no human being before you has possessed. This...is a Life Note. Within this compact little notebook holds the power that no other being in history could wish for. With this book, you have been blessed with the power of god himself. Locked deep inside the pages of this notebook rests a latent ability...an unawakened power to revive the dead. You've probably come to the conclusion that this is some sort of joke, using the common sense that your god belives you possess. I assure you, this is nothing of the sort. To help the world with this incredible ability, that is the goal of the Life Note. This notebook was given to you for a reason unknown to anybody else but god himself. Although, what you do with this notebook is not to be told to you, and is not a set path. You are in charge of this power for one reason or another, and whether this will bring pain or peace to this world?

The choice is yours.

--Rules--

**_1. The Life Note has the power to revive the dead. Although, anybody who has died of natural reasons, such as in conflict with someone else or of old age, will be revived without any memories of how they died. Only people whom were murdered by a Death Note, the counterpart to the Life Note, will be revived with memories of their death._**

**_2. Those whom have been revived by the Life Note who murdered someone in their previous lifetime will be cursed with a shortened lifespan of 1 month._**

**_3. A person can only be revived by the Life Note once._**

**_4. The Life Note can not revive those whom died of a heart attack caused by the Death Note unless said person was previously in possession of either of the two notes in their original lifetime._**

**_5. When reviving somebody with the Life Note, within a minute after writing the name of the person whom you wish to be revived, any method of reviving them and any actions after being revived may be written. If not, then they will simply awake where their body currently is located. _**

**_6. The human owner of the Life Note is chosen by god himself. Though, if the Life Note, for any reason at all, is unable to reach the owner, the Life Note is lost in the human realm._**

**_7. The host of the Life Note, an Angel hand-picked by god himself, will become audible and visible to the human owner and anybody whom is revived by the Life Note._**

**_8. If the Life Note is, in any way, harmed by a human who knows of its' existence, that human will die of a heart attack with the hour._**

**_9. The Angel whom hosts the Life Note is not obliged to aid the Life Note owner in choices of whom to revive, or any troubles that come with owning the Life Note._**

**_10. The Angel whom hosts the Life Note is not allowed, under any circumstances, to harm the Life Note owner in any way._**

**_11. Any damages that the revived beings' body has underwent will immediately be healed._**

**_12. Only the name of a revivee is required for them to be brought back to life._**

**_13. Those revived by the Life Note whom were killed by the Death Note in their previous lifetime can not be killed by the Death Note again._**

The rules that you, he whom was hand-picked by your god to own this wonderous item, have just read are only a portion of the rules that your Angel is obliged to warn you when you come in contact with each other. With the Life Note will come troubles, pleasures, confusion, conflict, and every possible engagement in between. Whatever happens, and whatever actions you wish to take with this note of wonder? It's not our choice. Enjoy.

--_Guardian_


	3. Chapter 2: Power

**Alright, here comes the 2nd chapter. FYI, I do have another popular fan-fic going on a different website, but I had a dream of posting this. Even so, if I don't recieve 1-2 reviews from people other than those whom have already reviewed me, I will be discontinuing this story on .**

**Eh, I decided to give pics of the MAIN original characters now. No pics for unoriginal characters will be given, cause you already know how they look, right?lol.**

**Soji Ikara: i95./albums/l153/Photoboy013/normal33-vinceturk2.jpg**

**Sora: i264./albums/ii182/AnimeDeath54321/Anime Angels/Angel-2.gif**

--

Soji thoroughly read the rules of the Life Note. Although all the evidence was there, including a being that called herself an "angel," Soji's logical mind remained skeptic of the entire situation. "This book...your telling me that I can just bring some dead dude back to life with it? Just like that?"

_He's not as knowledgeable as I expected him to be..._the angel thought, a disappointed sigh exiting her. "You seem to not fully comprehend the power of what you hold in your hands. It's much more than 'bringing some dead dude,' as you say, back to life." She slowly lowered to the ground, touching down. "Bringing people whom have long departed this world back to life...is that not an ability worth a marvel or two?"

Soji was quick to shut the notebook, a part of him not wanting believe that the explained abilities of the note were true. Another part of him, although, had an urge...no, a desire to put his faith into it. "To bring someone back to life..."

"I can see it in your eyes, Soji Ikara. You still hold doubt of the abilities of the Life Note."

"Yes, I do. What human being wouldn't?! T-this is all...it's all just crazy! Bringing people back to life...opposing the balance of life and death...a fuckin' angel in my room! What is that, some kinda costume? Your a hologram or something, aren't you?!" Soji charged toward the angel and pulled back his fist, and thrusted forward in an attemp to put an end to this nonsense.

Needless to say, no dice.

He flew straight through the being, into the wall of his room. Soji panted, turning around to face the angel. "Urgh...damn it..."

"Tell me, Soji. Have you been convinced, yet? I'm almost positive that if you had really hit me with that punch, I'd be in some kind of pain at the moment." The angel, although she refused to let it show, was fully enjoying his attempts.

"Heh, I just slipped, that's all! ROUND 2!" Soji was again dashes toward the angel.

She holds her hand up, a beam of light emitting from it, stopping him in his tracks. _This man is so simple...did he truly make the right choice? _

Soji grunted, struggling to break free from the grasp of the angel, but it was to no avail. "Fine, alright?! Whatever, I'll believe that your an angel and all, just stop whatever the hell your doin' to me!" At the instant he finished that sentence, he was let go, his body still moving. Right into the bed.

"So...I've finally convinced you? Good to know, Soji!"

No words found themselves out of his mouth. All he could do was glare, his head, and his pride, both damaged.

"Now, may I please make a proper introduction?" she said, smiling sweetly.

"Eh, go on."

"Ok, then. My name Sora, it's a pleasure to formally meet you, Soji Ikara."

"Sora? Like...sky?"

"Correct."

"I guess it kinda fits...your personality, it seems free like one, ya know?" Soji got up from the bed, walking over to Sora. "Tell me...let's say that this entire 'Life Note' is no joke...you know my name, so I take it that something is up. Is there a reason I came across that note in the streets?"

"Yes, to tell you the truth, there is. For one reason or another, your god has chosen you to weild this power. Why? How did it come to be? All of those details are things that will explained sooner or later, but not now."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not obliged to explain it so soon, I'm sorry. Besides, I may be wrong, but I Still sense a bit of doubt in your heart..." With that, Sora snatches the Life Note from Soji, opening it up. A white light shines in her hand before a pen appears, as she holds both the book and pen in front of Soji.

"Please...seeing as you currently don't believe me, how would a test drive suit you?"

Soji stared into the eyes of the angel before looking down at the notebook. The power that may, or may not, be locked inside that simple book would be one that, one way or another, would alter the course of Soji's life, for sure.

Still enjoying this to the second, Sora smiled, winking. "You know you want to!"

Soji took the pen, softly touching the tip of the 1st line on the page of the notebook. He had no idea why, but for some reason, his body seemed to refuse to move. He was so tempted to use the note, but his mind refused to let him move.

Frozen. As if time itself had taken a break.

"...Soji?" Sora asked, confused.

"I'm sorry, Sora..." The pen slowly slipped from Soji's hand, headed straight toward the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"I guess you can say, there's simply nobody on my mind right now that I'd like to bring back to life. You may not have been able to guess it from the charm I clearly have, but I'm not a very caring guy."

"Not caring?" Sora knew that if she was to spend time around Soji, confusion would be an emotion she would feel often.

"Oh, but don't worry. I'm sure I'll find a use for the note sooner or later. Until then, I'll guess I'll just have to take your word for it, hmm?" Soji hops onto his bed, looking to the ceiling. "Good night...shouldn't you be heading back to heaven or something like that right about now?"

"No, I shouldn't! You don't understand what has been given to you! Look, you are now the owner of the Life Note! Whether you want to accept it or not, this blessing, or burden, has been handed to you by God himself!"

"Woah, woah, your an angel! Shouldn't you be, like, calm or somethin'?"

"I'm sorry!!" Realizing the intensity of her voice, she was quick to cool down. "I'm sorry, I really am...it's just...you have no idea of the importance of the Life Note."

Soji sighs, sitting up in his bed once again. "Hmm?"

"You've been blessed with a Life Note, there's no easy way around it. Tell me...have you heard of something called a Death Note?"

"Death Note...that's the thing that Kira used to kill, correct? I worked on that case for a little bit near the end, that's where I..."

Seeing the look in Soji's eyes, Sora had a strong feeling that he finally was beginning to understand what owning a Life Note means. "Yes..."

"Death Note...Life Note...there complete opposites."

"Clever, isn't it?" she said, sitting down in a chair in his room and crossing her legs.

"Kira was evil...does that mean, I'm good?"

"There are many Death Notes in this world, but this Life Note is the one and only. Nobody in existence has ever come in contact with one."

"So, I'm really that special, aren't I?"

Ignoring his ignorance, Sora continued. "I can't leave you, because once you come in contact a Life Note, I'm going to stick around with you for quite a while."

"Forever?"

"Not necessarily...but I'm not obliged to give you all of this information until you have succeeded in using the Life Note at least once!"

"Alright then," Soji muttered, laying his head back onto the pillow. "Fine...tomorrow, I promise, I'll use the Life Note. For now, though, I really need some sleep, so, good night Sora."

Sora smiled at Soji, her eyes warmly staring at her. "Ok...good night, Soji Ikara."

_Life Note...I've barely begun to understand it all, but there's no doubt about it...life's gonna change._

--

The next morning, Soji was up and dressed early. As he was getting ready, Sora appeared in the room, excited to see him up.

"Soji!" she yelled.

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad to see your up so early! Where do you plan on going?"

"Well, as you probably already know due to your 'divine connections,' I'm a detective for the Japanese Government."

"Really? Wow...I had no idea! I never would've guessed, you don't seem like the 'detective' type!"

"No joke? Anyway, there's been some serious shit goin' down lately, and I've decided to take a look into it myself. There's going to be some big ass meeting of a ton 'a detective in Japan tomorrow, so I decided to make something special out of myself tomorrow."

Sora cups her arms with a confused arch of the eyebrow to couple it. "Is that so? The Life Note could be a big help in a situation like that!"

"Eh, we'll wait for that."

"Remember, Soji!" she said, poking him in the head. "You promised me that you would use the note today!"

"Alright, alright...ya know, you seem a lot different from yesterday. Your personality, ya know?"

"Oh, that was all official! Now, you can see the real me, aren't I just the cutest?" To couple her words, she quickly put on a bright simle.

Soji looked at Sora through the corner of his eyes, smiling. "Yeah, I guess you are." As a red tint of blush covered her cheeks, Soji picked up the Life Note and walked out of the apartment.

--

As he roamed the morning lit streets of Kazahana, with Sora closely following behind him, he couldn't help but pay attention to his surroundings. No matter how bright the kind sun shone down upon the city, it couldn't change the fact that these streets were all but kind."

Over to the side, a large group of men covered in dark black suits headed toward a department shop. A bulge was visible in each other pockets.

_Guns..._

"Eh, Sora? Now, since your an angel, nobody else but myself can see you, correct?"

"That's right! Nobody else but you has the ability to see and hear me, so we're safe."

"Good..." Up ahead, a fight between two gangs was occuring. Blood was shed, bones were broken, and lives were being lost. There were a large group of bystanders staring in distress at the sight, some unwillingly dragged into the fray. "Damn..."

"That's so horrible..." Sora muttered under her breath. "Is this natural for your world?"

"Not the whole world. A lot of places on this earth are perfectly peaceful..." He quickly made his way across the street, avoiding the fight. "Just not here...not Kazahana."

As the two continued to make there way up the streets, they come across an alley. Soji walks straight past it, but quickly backs up as he hears a woman screaming. Another crime was afoot. This time, two men were harassing a clearly innocent woman.

"P-please, I'd rather not have trouble with you, I'm simply headed to the grocery store!"

"Ya hear that, Taka? She says she don't want no trouble with us!" the first man yelled.

"Oh, there ain't no need to worry! We just wanna have a little fun with ya, you like fun, right? So, what's your name?" The man reached toward the woman's body.

"Kiki Shiori, but that doesn't matter! Please, just get away from me!" The woman takes her handbag and slaps in the face with it, his nose bone heard cracking, along with a yell of pain.

"Taka," the first man yelled, "You alright?!" His eyes shot toward the woman, a glare burning straight through her. "Ha...bitch, you just murdered yourself!" The man slowly began to pull out a gun from his pocket.

"Soji!" Sora yelled. "You have to go do something! That man has a gun on him!"

Soji's eyes shot a glare toward the man's back. Soji's glare had the intensity of 10 of the man's own. "I am...NO MORE!" With that, he dashes toward the commotion. _**I'm sick of it...no more crime...I'm going to stop all of this god damn crime!**_

Just as the man pulls the gun out of his pocket, Soji comes in front of him in socks him across the face. The woman gasps in shock and the man skids across the ground from the blow. In the meantime, the other man is beginning to overcome his injury.

Soji takes out his own gun and points it toward the man. Seeing as he works for that division of the government, guns are manditory. "Stand back! Get the hell outta here, or I sware, I'll shoot!"

The man stands up, shooting towards Soji without warning. Just as the man points before shooting, Soji ducks down and covers the woman's body. As the man reloads his gun, Soji shoots his hand, knocking the weapon out of his grasp. The man yells in pain as Soji rushes for the weapon.

Sora stands back, watching in awe. "He may not be the smartest guy...but at least he's brave."

Just as Soji reaches for the weapon, Taka, the other man, knocks him in the face, sending him into the wall of the alley. "Urgh!"

Taka points the gun toward Soji, and at the same time, Soji points his own gun toward him.

"You don't want to shoot me." Soji said, confident. "I'm quite the fast drawer, to tell you the truth. I'd bet money that you'd be the one who ends up dead!"

"D-don't test me...you BITCH!" Taka's hands shake, his eyes close shut, and the gun sounds off. Due to how nervous he is, though, the bullet strays of track: straight for the woman. Blood gushes onto the back wall of the alley as Soji stares in despair. "Q-quick! We're outta here!"

With that, Taka grabs his friend and dashes out of the alley, a few shots from Soji fired toward them.

"Damn it!" Soji kneels down to the woman, resting her head on his lap. "Miss! Miss, are you...alright?" He shakes puts his head to her mouth.

Nothing.

Blood continues to trail from her body, slipping away into a stream of water, down into the sewage drain. He puts his hand on her chest, checking for a heartbeat.

It was official, now. She's dead.

Soji glares down at the floor, smashing his fist into the water. "Shit...I wasn't able...I wasn't able to stop those bastards...what kinda enforcer am I...not able to save a single woman!"

Sora flies toward Soji, looking at the dreadful sight. "Oh my god...Soji...she's dead, isn't she?"

"No...not for long."

His actions feeding straight off of instinct, he pulls out the Life Note and almos instantly begins to right the name of the woman: Kiki Shiori.

1 second...2...3...4...

"W-why the hell isn't it working?!"

20...21...22...

"Just give it time..."

45...46...47...

Soji store down at the woman, the glare in his eyes not losing a bit of it's strength.

57...58...59...60.

The woman coughs, slowly opening her eyes. "Nnh..."

Soji's face goes from intense to welcoming, an open smile covering his face. "A-are you alright?" The wound in her chest where the bullet had pierced slowly disappears.

"Y-yes, I am...what happened?" Kiki slowly began to arise from his lap.

"What do you mean 'what happened?!' You di..."

Sora gives Soji a deadly glare, catching his attention. With a shake of her head, Soji understands that telling her the story is out of the question.

"Um...you passed out while walking down the street, and I brought you here to make sure you were alright." Lies.

"Oh...thank you!" Looking behind Soji, Kiki sees the sight of Sora flying in the air. "Oh my...I must be delusional or something, because I see a flying girl right behind you..."

_Oh, I forgot! She was revived by the Life Note, that means..._Without wasting time to finish her sentence, she flies into the wall, disappearing.

"Oh, um...what?" Soji said, somewhat forgetting about Sora in the hype.

"Nothing." With that, Kiki stands up, turning toward the alley exit. Before doing so, though, she bows to Soji, smiling sweetly. "Thank you so much for your help, if I ever see you again, make sure to remind me that I owe you one!"

"Oh, no, it's my job, I don't take pay from my clients."

"Ok then, but don't change your mind later, got that?" she said with a wink before walking away, waving.

Soji's heart had warmed up, almost to the heat of his glare from before. "I brought her...back to life! Sora, Sora! I just saved somebodies life!"

"Don't you do that normal on your job?" she said, coming out from the building.

"Not really...but that's all gonna change. I just saved somebodies life without barely lifting a finger...the Life Note is real!"

"Well, duh?" Sora muttered, straightening out her hair.

"But this...this is just he beginning..."

"Hmm?"

"I just saved that woman's life in seconds...think about what I can do in days?! Weeks?! YEARS!" It was clear that the excitement was getting to him. "This city, it's littered to the brim with crime, and I just stopped one! Yes...some much crime...but it doesn't matter! This power I possess, I can use it to put a stop to it all!"

_So, it's true...I may have made a mistake, but I think this will work out quite nicely! He really...is the one._

"With this power, I can save this city...that's right!" Soji clenched his fist, a devilish grin liberating his face. "I'll save the city...because I have the power!"

And what a power it is.


	4. Chapter 3: Reveal

**Well, look at that! Seems that I got my reviews, so Life Note will go on. Not to say reviews aren't still welcome. :p lol**

**BTW, I realized that the pic links in the last chapter weren't working properly, so I fixed them.**

**Sora: **i264./albums/ii182/AnimeDeath54321/Anime Angels/Angel-2.gif

**Soji: **i95./albums/l153/Photoboy013/normal33-vinceturk2.jpg

**Alright, Chapter 3...**

--

It was late at night on the same day. Soji had returned to his apartment, followed by Sora. The moment he entered the room, he found himself falling out on the bed, clearly burned out from the excitement of not only saving someones life, but also realizing that Kiki Shiori's life? It was only the beginning.

"Heh, looks like somebodies' beat, huh?" Sora said, flying toward Soji's bed.

"Well, can you blame me?"

"No, I can't. Tell me, Soji...you've finally gotten a taste of the power that the Life Note has to offer! What do you plan on doing with it now?"

Soji sat up in his bed, arching an eyebrow as he stared at Sora. "Your talking as if I have a choice."

"You do, basically. You see, after the person who was chosen for the Life Note has successfully tested the power of the book, their obliged to make a choice. As you can probably guess, being in possession of a Life Note will be no easy task...if you wish to simply give it up now, send the book and I back to heaven, you can." Although it was true that she didn't really want to leave earth so early, her voice was one of indifference.

"Walk out on the Life Note? What, is this some kinda joke or something?" He stood up, clenching his fist before his face. "I plan on changing this wretched place, and it's gonna be a little hard to do that if I don't have a tool to rely on! So, you'd better get used to this earth, your gonna be here for a while."

Sora jumped up, jittery with glee. "Heh, good to know! But now that you've made your choice, I'm obliged to let you in on a few rules, Soji."

"Oh yeah? Well, shoot."

"Ok...in addition to the rules that were already written inside the Life Note, there are a few hidden rules that rest solely in the mind of the angel. The plan to not write all of the rules in the notebook at once was so those whom didn't wish to weild this power couldn't rely on wanting to test on those rules, all they had was their own bravery.

This intrigued Soji. He was somewhat of a selfish guy, so a feeling such as this was natural, but he felt a bit noble for choosing to keep possession of the Life Note. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Rule Number 1! This was found inside the book, but it seems we both forgot about it this one: anybody who is revived by the Life Note is gonna be able to see me!" Sora's tone had somewhat switched up, sounding almost like a scold.

"Oh...yeah, I think I remember reading that one...that's what Kiki was talkin' about after I brought her back to life, right?"

With a nod, Sora continued. "Number 2! For every name that you write in the Life Note, you come closer and closer to reaching your goal. You see, if you successfully revive 10 people with Life Note, then when you die, you'll be assured a place in heaven!"

Soji was utterly caught off guard by this one. "N-no joke?! Only 10 people?!"

"Yes, that's right. Although, there's more to it, you see, you can't just randomly pick 9 more people to revive and call it a day. When you revive those other 9 people, seeing as you've already righfully revived one, your intentions for reviving them have to be true."

"True intentions?" Soji sighed, digging his face into the pillow. "I always knew that sooner or later, you were gonna get corny on me, Sora."

**"This is serious!"**

The mood in the room was almost instantly altered by the intensity of her voice. Soji lifeted his head up and shot his eyes toward her, concerned.

"Sora, I was...I was just jokin'!"

"Well I'm not. If your ever to use the Life Note in a way that God himself doesn't see just...he'll kill you." Although it was true that the words she spoke were contradictory, seeing as it was God whom she was talking about, there wasn't a single expression upon her face that could notify anyone that she was joking.

"God...will kill me?"

"This world was blessed with a Life Note for reasons that he hoped would bring peace to this world. If your actions are ever to contradict this purpose, then you will be murdered on the spot."

Soji looked down at the Life Note, his grip on it intensifying. "If I ever were to lose myself...then I'd lose my life."

"That's why I'm worried. From heaven, I've monitored people like you before, and they almost always go bad. For one reason or another, something in their life changes them, and they just...they simply can't get a hold of their self anymore. The stakes are all that much higher in your situation."

Soji layed back on his bed, looking to the ceiling, or, so it seemed. In truth, he was looking past the human-made structures. He was looking up to heaven, hoping he had his eyes locked on the big guy himself.

"Tell me...if I were to lose myself...would you really kill me?"

Sora kept herself from commenting on his actions. All she could bring herself to do was sigh, looking down at the floor as an expression of concern crept its' way onto her face.

Suddenly, a light shone in the room. It was the TV.

"D' hell?" Soji said, jumping up from the bed and walking towards his television.

"A television set? Heh, I've always wanted to watch one of these, but when your an angel of my stature, you just never have the time!" Sora chirped, slowly flying over to the TV. "So, how does it work?"

"Hold on...it's not working, that's the thing." Soji banged on the set, it beginning to regain its reception. As the reception returned, it was clear to see that a channel was already set.

On the channel, a man dressed in all white stood at the center of a black room.

Sora's eyes gazed at the box, almost completely losing herself in the wonderous sight. "So this...is a TV..."

"Well, not really, usually there ar..."

"SHH! I'm trying to listen!" Sora said. Although her voice was a whisper, her glare toward Soji alerted him that she was prepared to take physical action if she was not able to watch.

Soji's eyes slowly shifted back to the TV set.

'Hello there,' the man on the TV said.

"Hi TV man!" Sora said, waving.

"Sora, he can't see you."

"Really? Are you sure, because he just greeted me!"

Forgiving and ignoring her cutesy ignorance, Soji zoned back in on the program.

'I'm almost positive that your wondering how this strange man made it to your TV set. That, though, is not of importance at the moment.' Clearing his throat, the man continued. 'I'm sure that you've heard of a strange string of deaths that have befallen the beloved leaders of your world, correct? I have com here to day to let you know that I am the culprit of these deaths.'

Soji was almost paralyzed by his words, them having hit him harder than any bullet possibly could have hoped to. "He's...the one?"

'My name...is of no importance. My cause for performing such an act...none of your business. There is one thing that I will tell you though: the future. I am a man whom believes in change. Change, on a global scale. I'm sorry to say, but this world of ours has been the same for far to long, and I plan on altering that.'

"This man isn't as nice as I thought he'd be..." Sora said, a little disappointed.

'The leaders of your world have already been crushed. You may continue to grieve over that loss if you wish, but I assure you, it is only the beginning. Those of you with half a brain will know better, and will prepare for my next attack.'

'Oh my...' the man said, clearly remembering something. 'Though, it's not as if you can stop me anyway, correct?' his boasts were followed by a thundering laugh that rang not only through the room he was in, but through the TV sets of every person on earth.

'It's been fun, I must say, but I can not continue this broadcast forever. Although, I'll leave you on a high note...don't try to resist, please. You can't, you simply can't fight power such as mine, cause I control you. I control each and every one of you fools...my word...is law.'

And with that, the TV set flickered off, returning to rain fade.

_...Damn._

Sora stood up, crossing her arms. "I have to admit, that wasn't nearly as fun as I expected it to be!"

Soji looks to Sora with a face of complete dumbfoundment. "Hopeless..."

_So, mystery man...nobody can fight your power, is that it?_ A devilish grin made its way onto Soji's face as he held the Life Note to his chest. _Then...game on._

--

The next, it was all to fall into place. The airlines were packed with detectives and Japanese government officials flying in from everywhere in the country for a meeting held in Kazahana City. The broadcast from the mystery man, which somehow was spanned all across the world, was the talk of most of the people there. They all were headed toward the KCGB, which was the main government building in Kazahana, to discuss the matter and what actions to take.

"Woooooooooah! Look at all the people here!" Sora said, flying closely behind Soji.

"Yeah...I already knew that a lot of people would be attending this meeting, but I think the main thing that got them to come was that broadcast last night. It's the talk of the world right now, ya know...the last time something this big has it was Kira."

"Kira...Soji, I see you've brought your Life Note with you! Why's that? You do know that if somebody does see that, it's going to arouse some interesting questions." Sora touched down in front of Soji, but was unable to fully gain his attention as he walked straight through her.

"Heh, only if I'm lucky, Sora...only if I'm lucky."

"Are you trying to tell me that you plan to..." Sora looked to the boy, concerned. _I never would've guessed he'd be so forward with it all..._

Soji looks up to Sora, once again wearing a devilish grin. "Hell yeah."

--

The meeting commenced. The room in the KCGB had to house over 2500 government officials, and that was no easy task. Somehow, though, it got done.

"May I have your attention, please!" Takashi Amana yelled. Being the leader of the Kazahana division, it was only just that he would lead this meeting.

As his voiced boomed throughout the room, the chit-chat almost instantly came to a halt.

"Thank you. I have no intentions on wasting time in this meeting, just for further references, so I plan to skip straight to what matters. You all know why your here, is that correct?" He gave a second for reply, although he didn't even begin to doubt that anyone was clueless. "Last night, a program was broadcasted all over the world by a mysterious man whom claims to be the cause of the problems the world has been facing in the past couple of days. Due to the power he claims to possess, we've dubbed him 'Law.'"

_Creative_, Soji thought.

"The last thing that this world needs right now is a repeat of the Kira crisis. And as it stands, it's completely possibly. We've brought all of you here today to explain and discuss the plan of action that not only Japan, but all of the worlds' countries will be taking to counter this occurance."

One man stood up, seemingly attempting to take charge in the meeting. "Is that so? Then why isn't the rest of the world here to make this decision? This is a worldwide crisis, Japan alone can't handle it!"

"By the time something like that gets set up, we will have already fell victim to another Law attack! This is a way for us to quickly and easily discuss it, and it will, in general, more effectively than what you propose."

"So, one broadcast appears on TV and then all of you decide to go nuts? How can you thoroughly believe this strange man? His word is nothing of importance to us!"

One by one, more and more people jumped up to add their 2 cents in the mix. It wasn't before long that Takashi took action.

**"I demand order in this building!" **He knew that if he didn't make a move, physical action would be taken, and that was something that Kazahana simply couldn't afford. "Everybody who is fully capable of solving a case such as this is already on the job, we're not here to discuss their matters! We will stay on topic with discussion, or el..."

"They're note enough." Soji said aloud, standing up.

"S-Soji?"

"Let's face it...it doesn't matter how good the detectives you have on the job right now are, they can't rise to an occasion such as this!"

"Soji, sit down!"

"No thanks." With a clear of his throat, he continued. "Listen...what kind of raise do you think I would get if I promised you that this whole 'Law' case could be figured out?"

"Kid, I advise you sit down!" A woman yelled.

"I'm fuckin' 28 years old, grandma! I'M A BIG BOY NOW!" Yeah, the cool was gone.

Sora chuckled at his comment, rolling her eyes.

"Soji," Takashi muttered. "You can't promise the moon and only give us the stars. A case like this takes some time, this is one of the first real encounters you've been put on!"

"I know. But, you see...that's the thing. I may be a noob on all of these kind of things, but I do have an advantage over the rest of you."

"Hmm?"

All eyes connected with Soji, as Sora sat on air, clearly excited about what was to come.

"Now, about 8 or so years ago, a man named L worked on the Kira case, correct? Well, with my knowledge from insiders on the case, I heard that the original L, the man whom so many looked up to as the worlds' greatest detective, actually was killed by Kira himself."

Gasps of shock littered the sound waves in the room as words of concern arose from the ashes of previous conversations.

"L was replaced by another ma...well, a young man who called himself N. You see, even though N was very talented, through my eyes, he simply wasn't as skilled as the original L! L was probably the greatest, just as people claimed he was, but he's long gone and dead."

"Why the hell have you brought this up, Soji?"

"Because I got this little tool..." From his jacket, he pulled out the Life Note. "It's called a Life Note."

"And exactly what is that, Mr. Ikara?"

"It's Life...it's what I'll use to take down Law...it's power."

Everything went silent once again.

"With this here device, I've been granted the amazing ability to revive the dead." After saying this, he was quick to raise his hand into the air. "Those who plan to laugh at my claims, I advise you wait a minute."

"Revive the dead?! Soji, you've gone completely insane!"

"Heh, I crossed that line a long time ago." He opened up the Life Note and rested it on his arms, pulling out a pen from his left pocket.

Sora looked to Soji with excitement, looking at what he began to write in the Life Note. "Soji, this is risky..."

"Hell yeah it is...but this entire thing is a charade, if you ask me. One more risk...can't hurt." Soji had finished writing what he needed to, and put the cap back on his pen.

**"Soji! Your embarassing the Kazahana force!"**

"Embarassing? I'm about to become the most loved man in Japan!"

"J-just how do you plan on backing up your words, Soji? And why do you make such foolish claims?!"

"How...well, just like this. And why..." Soji holds the Life Note in front of his face, revealing to the room what exactly had been written in it.

L Lawliet

Will return to life while still in his casket. Afterward, he will find a way to break free from his casket and make his way above ground. After realizing he is fully alive, he will run to the Sakura TV Station, which is less than 2 miles from his grave. There, he will announce to the world that he, the true L, is alive.

"Because...I have the power. So...any bets?"


	5. Chapter 4: Fail

And there he stood. All eyes that could see, and a few who clearly couldn't but still tried anyway, gazed at the sight of what Soji had written in the notebook. As if staged in some 14 year old kids' fan-fiction or something,(lol, sorry, I couldn't resist) all at once, the group began to discuss the matter.

"L-Lawliet? Who the hell's Lawliet?"

"He's to arise from the grave and run to the Sakura TV Station...what kind of shit is that?!"

"Wait, L died? Are you telling me that there was two L's? How come the public was never alerted of this happening?!"

Almost all at once, the detectives quickly expressed their shock. Soji, although he didn't in the least regret his move, was caught off guard by their reckless reactions to his equally reckless actions.

"Soji!" Sora yelled to him. "Everyone's going kinda crazy...are you positive that this was the right thing to do?"

"No, I'm not, actually...but I do know that I wouldn't alter, in anyway, what I just did if I could. They'll act like this now, but once when L makes that announcement, it'll all straighten out, I figure."

Sora couldn't help but feel that there was one aspect of his plan that was left out of the equation, though she wouldn't show her concern, seeing as she had trust in his ability to work the event out.

"Soji...Ikara!" Takashi Amana yelled out. With the red on his face, labeling him as "embarassed" would be a dire understatement.

"Yeah? What's up?" Soji, on the other hand...

"Meet me, and the rest of your co-workers, in my office. Immediately." Without giving another word to the crowd, Takashi stormed to the room in the back of the building, followed by a few, still confused, detectives from the Kazahana division.

With a crack of his knuckles, Soji followed after them. _Alright then...time to face the music._

--

_Crash._

Takashi banged his fists onto the table, his fiery glare aiming directly toward Soji. "You...DUMBASS! **Do realize the extent of what you've done?!** You've not only let out extremely classified information to a moderate public, but you've put the entire JGDF in shock and wonder! Those are two things that we can not afford to see when facing a threat such as Law!"

"Eh, I don't know..."

"What do you mean?"

Soji shrugged, the gaze of his eyes shifting to the side. "I don't know if your all that accurate. I mean, on the contrary to what you think, I think I did a pretty good job out there!"

Even calm, noble men such as Takashi had their limits, and, unfortunately, Soji had finally reached it. His hand thrusted forward, grabbing a firm hold on Soji's neck. His squeeze was light, but the force of the grab was enough to get the message through.

The group of Kazahana detectives all gave out a gasp of suprise, never before having seen this side of Takashi before.

"Listen, Soji...you clearly are too simple to understand the full extenet of your actions, so maybe I should aid you in that process?" Behind him, his hand was balled up into a fist.

"Alright, dude, I'm going to have to ask you to let go of my neck, feelin' just a little pain over here."

"I advise you stop talking, Soji...if I'm forced to listen to that voice of yours again, I may just lose it!"

"No, seriously! I know that I'm comin' off as cocky about what's goin' on, but I have a reason! Just let me explain myself!" His previously obnoxious tone of voice had dwindled down to nothing in almost an instant.

"Get to it, then."

"You already heard my claim, didn't you?" As he spoke, he shuffled throug his jacket for the Life Note, showing it to his comrades.

"Life...Note?" Takashi muttered, reading the words printed on the cover in pure disbelief.

"Yes...Life Note. I know that this is gonna sound totally "out there," but I assure you, this note has the power to revive the dead!" Ignoring the chuckles that he recieved from his skeptical "friends," Soji continued. "I'm not lying to you, and this is not a joke! I'm apart of the JDF, aren't I supposed to be trustworthy?!"

"Soji..."

"Just believe me on this. I set the time on exactly when L will be revived, and when he will be making his announcement! 35 minutes, that's all I need to prove to you that I'm telling the truth."

Takashi, although not entirely won over by his possibly empty words, knew that was Soji said was true, and being a man of honor, had been somewhat convinced that Soji was telling no fib. "Soji Ikara...in 35 minutes, you say that L will make an announcement, correct?"

Soji nodded, a smile returning as he had a feeling the argument was won. "Yes, 35 minutes exactly!"

"Alright...that's all you've got, Soji."

"Heh...that's all I need." With a devilish grin intact, Soji prepared to lay his trust on the line. As of now, it was up to the Life Note.

--

...

Quiet...

_Bump..._

A...noise?

_Bump...bump...bump..._

A beat...a heartbeat.

Underneath the surface of the earth...long forgotten. It was the body of a true great. His body lay there, previously lifeless. Within the decreped mind of that body rested knowledge unparalled by anyone in history. This body was dead.

Was.

The heartbeat was returning; starting at a dangerously slow pace, it rose to a natural speed. Wind softly pressed against the top of the casket as his breath was returning. A twitch of the hand, a shake of the leg, and an opening of the eyes all brought the man to his senses.

"Urgh...what's...what's this?"

The legendary detective, L, was alive.

"I'm...alive..." Almost involuntarily, he placed the palm of his hands on the top of his casket. "Urgh!" He thrusts his hands on the top of the casket with as much force as he newly awakened body will allow him to use. A crack sound is heard, and dirt pours into the casket. Quickly closing his eyes and holding his breath, L begins his struggle. As the dirt falls upon him, he digs his way through, knowing that if he was to let up on his force for even a second, it would be the end of him.

Luckily, he wasn't buried too far underground. Before long, he was able to make his way to the surface of the earth once more. Climbing out of the hole in the ground, he coughs up some inhaled dirt, resting on all fours. "Nnh..." It was the Life Note at work. His actions were nearly automatic, but it wasn't as if he knew. Besides, he had no complaints.

Although it was clear that what was happening was no dream, and he was by no means a skeptic, he knew that he had died. L was quick to take action, shifting his hands over his body to make sure it was all there. He stood up, looking down at his tattered clothes. "My clothes...my body...my memories..."

It was at that moment that L recalled what had last happened to him. "The Shinigami...Rem...she..."

The images in his mind were ones that could only bring back a sense of terror. The men in the detective force, those whom he had called his comrades, were scurrying around the room, as he stayed calm. "The Shini..." Those were his last words. After that, he dropped dead almost instantly.

Before his mind could process another thought, his legs once again began to move. He ran forward, exiting the grounds of the graveyard. It was a city cemetery, so it was located just off the road. When he reached the cemetery exit, the thunderous boom of bypassing vehicles didn't alow him to hear his own thoughts, as if it mattered. The Life Note was once again working its' magic.

L turned to the right, where, in the distance, he saw a large building with a house-sized satellite sitting atop it. "Sakura TV Station...that's my destination."

--

10 minutes.

Soji and the rest of the Kazahana Detective Force continued to wait in the room, Takashi having already stopped continuation of the meeting until after the "Life Note" happenings. Although the rest of the task were all on the edge of their seat awaiting the outcome of Soji's claims, Soji himself had, long ago, hit the floor.

_Why the hell am I so afraid? _Soji couldn't help but ask himself. _I mean...I've already brought a person back to life with the note...is it because...everyone is watching? Is it the pressure of failing...of being mocked...of letting all of those people down that's getting to me?!_

"Soji." Takashi muttered from across the table.

Breaking out of his "excited" state, Soji replied, "What is it?"

"You've got 8 minutes. You do realize that if this is some kind of joke...the consequences will be dire?"

_He's just tryin' to get to me...that's all._ Coming to that conclusion, Soji smirked, jerking his head away from the rest of his so-called comrades. _L...now is not the time to fuck with me...just make the god damn announcement..._

--

L dashed down the streets of Kazahana, enclosing on his target: the Sakura TV Station. _My body almost seems to be acting on instinct...but it's not my own instinct...what the hell is wrong with me? I can't even think straight! I'm just...running...running..._

--

5 minutes.

"Time's going by pretty quick, huh?" Takashi asked. It was clear what his intentions were. Regardless of if he was to be trusted or not, a large deal of respect had been lost in the young man.

"Not quick enough." Soji countered, giving the older man a demonic glare. "Not quite."

--

4 minutes.

L had finally reached his destination. He stood before the large building, everything falling into place. From what the Life Note had calculated, it would only take those 240 seconds for L to reach the broadcasting room in the tower and begin his announcement.

--

3 minutes.

Soji's eyes seemed to be somewhat glued to the watch. The hands were ticking quicker than ever, in perfect synchronization with Soji's own heart. Fast.

--

2 minutes, 30 seconds.

L reached for the door handle. Once it had been opened, the battle was one. The wait would be over. The tension would once again lower. His hands grasped the cold bar, preparing to enter the station.

And then...he stopped.

1 minute was left.

The power of angels...it seemed that even they had a share of limits. It was if, all at once, L regained his composure. The eerie feeling of being controlled by somebody, or something else had vanished altogether.

It was when he came to that he saw himself, out in the open, surrounded by people whom could take a glance at him at anytime they pleased.

He was revealed.

Not letting out any sounds in fear of attracting attention, L swung his head downward, his ruffled, messy hair covering his face. _I need..._he thought, frantically. _...to escape..._

Just as he was ready to make his casual leave, a man approached him at teh door to the Sakura TV Station. "Hey, buddy! You plan on going in the building anytime soon, some of us do have to work."

"You..." L didn't service the man with a glance. All he could do was stare at the damp ground, overwhelmed by the happenings. "Tell me...what year is it?"

"What year? Uh, 2014, why?"

2014. Almost 8 entire years since his death. What had he missed? What had become of Kira? The task force? Light? Misa? All those people whom he had left alone in the world to face the music, what had become of them?

At this point, a yell would suffice. Just a loud yell, solely to release his jumbled emotions, that's all he wanted to do. He knew better, although. A foolish move like that would only play out negatively. "T-thank you, sir..." he almost inaudibly muttered to the man. Without ever seeing the face of the man, he turned away, walking through the streets.

_What...has happened?_

--

An entire minute had passed since L was scheduled to make his announcement. The members of the KDFD had exchanged no words, only glances and glares, toward the young man.

"So tell me, Soji...where is L? I'd really like to know."

_Urgh...if I weren't an angel, I'd murder him!_ Sora thought. She was quick to put her hands into a praying manner, instantly regretting her coarse language. _Oh, oh, I'm so sorry!_

All Soji could do at a time like this was stand there. He stared at his watch in pure disbelief. "It's g-gotta something wrong with my watch, or somethin'! I mean, L should be making his announcement right this minute! I sware to you, something has got to be wrong!"

"Soji...you claimed that those of the KDFD, hell, any division of the JDF, must be completely trustworthy, correct?"

The grip Soji managed onto the Life Note gave off the impression that he was prepared to do away with the item.

"I must say, you did have me tricked for a while there. I believed you, because you were a part of our division. You were supposed to be truthful, but what has our misplaced trust in you led us to believe?"

"Save your shit..."

"What was that?"

"I said, SAVE YOUR SHIT! Damn it, I don't know what's up with this thing, but I...I was not lying to you when I said L would be revived!"

"Soji...don't embarass yourself more than you already have."

"Fuck it all! I don't need it...I don't need this god damned force!" His voice boomed with such intensity that his words were audible to nearly all of the thousands of detectives whom awaited in the auditorium close by.

"Soji..."

"That's what the consequences were, right?! You'd strip me of my badge...strip of me of honor...strip me of everything I've worked so hard for! Damn it, I've realized that I don't need it!"

"Soji, I assure you that you need us much more than we require your false words. Please...leave, or I will have security take care of you."

"Right on." His tone was not that of which most people would say those words. He ripped his badge from his chest and slammed it onto the table, his hand resting on it. When he lifted his hand, the badge was revealed smashed, and Soji stormed out of the room. Detectives in the auditorium all looked at him with mixed feelings, but it wasn't as if Soji cared of what they had to say.

"Soji...I'm so sorry..." Sora muttered, flying down to him.

"Urgh...why the hell didn't it work, Sora?! Tell me that!"

"Soji, you don't know if your accusations of it working are valid! Who knows, there are other possible, more logical reasons that things didn't go as planned!"

**"NAME ONE!"**

"Lawliet...what kind of name is that anyway? Are you positive it was correct?"

"Are you saying I could have gotten the wrong information?" Almost instantly, Soji realized the possibility of what Sora said. The source of the information he recieved wasn't completely reliable. An awe-struck stare planted itself on Soji's face.

"Soji? Do you have something?"

"Yes...I do..." Fastening the Life Note in his jacket, Soji continued his storm down the streets. "It's time to pay someone a much deserved visit, Sora..."

_Nate...you bitch._


	6. Chapter 5: Reunite

**Omg, I'm sorry for the lack of chapters this past weekend, it was a busy one.**

**BTW, remember the pics of Sora and Soji I promised to give you all? Well, they weren't working the two times that I posted them. For some reason or another, I guess that FFN doesn't allow the code on their websites. So, the way I figure it, all you have to do is add the code "" to the front of the pics in your address box, and the picture should show up. I'll give you the links again:**

**Soji: i95./albums/l153/Photoboy013/normal33-vinceturk2.jpg**

**Sora: i264./albums/ii182/AnimeDeath54321/Anime Angels/Angel-2.gif**

**Now, the chapter...**

--

Failed.

Soji had made a complete and total fool of himself in front of his own comrades. Having promised that the power of the Life Note would bring the greatest detective in history, L, back to life, when things didn't go as planned, Soji was stripped of his spot in the KDF.

What he didn't know, though, was that the Life Note had infact brought the detective back to life. Though, even the power of angels has its' limits. The act that Soji was going to make L commit after being revived did not occur due to L's strong willpower, and was overturned. L, still in a high state of shock over what has happened to his comrades, the Kira case, why he was brought back to life, how he was brought back to life, and 21 other questions, is lost in an old world with a new look.

--

Soji and Sora had both returned to Soji's apartment. The sadness, anger, and frustration that had welled up inside of Soji found a way to contain itself as he plopped onto his bed.

"Soji..." Sora muttered, flying toward his bed.

"What is it?" His tone notified that he really wasn't in the mood for conversation.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there, I really am. I don't know why the Life Note didn't work, it just...didn't, I guess."

"Fuck, you think I would laying down here if I knew why? This damn thing costed me my job, my character, my place in this screwed up town!" He pulled back his arm, preparing to launch the corrupt note across the room.

Sora reacted quickly, thrusting her arm forward as a beam of light hit Soji's body, freezing him in place. "Soji, you can't do that! If you damage the Life Note, you know what will happen to you! Remember the rule?!"

He gritted his teeth, the previously contained anger beginning to seep through. "Damn it..." Seeing he had regained his composure, Sora released Soji from her hold.

"Well...on a lighter note, you said you had to pay someone a visit, right?"

"What?"

"After you left the building, you claimed to need to pay somebody a visit after I explained to you that Lawliet may not be L's real name. Why didn't you go see him?"

Soji blinked, his memory reminding him of that moment. "O-oh yeah...eh, wasn't feelin' up to it tonight. Besides, if I do go meet him, I doubt things will go over easy, there's no way we're pulling an 'in and out.'"

"Exactly who is the person you want to meet, Soji?"

"Well...eh..." Sitting up in his bead, Soji prepares to explain. "L, he was the greatest detective of all time, to most people. When he was on the Kira case, which was almost entirely confidential, by the way, he was killed, possibly by Kira himself."

"Kira was the one who killed L?"

"That's what most people have come to believe. Anyway, continuing with the story, after the real L was killed, somebody knew stepped into the picture. His name was N, which standed for Near."

"Yeah, I think I heard you mention that during the meeting!"

"Yes, I did. Anyway, its said that Kira was undone by Near himself, but that kind of information wasn't released to the public."

"...Then how do you know so much, Soji?"

"Well, that's probably because Near and I? We go way back...further than most people could guess." A somewhat proud grin crossed Soji's face as these words were spoken.

"So, he's still alive?"

"Hell, he's just a kid. Well, he was the last time saw him, but that we years ago."

"Really? Aw, how cute!"

With a sigh, Soji returns to his popular position: fallen out on the bad. "Anyway, I plan on going to see him tomorrow. It's natural he wouldn't attend that big-ass meeting earlier today, he does have his own share of secrets to keep, but that's where I got my info, so seeing him would help me verify everything I know, or don't, about Lawliet."

Sora tilted her head, smiling bright. "Near...pretty cool name, don't you think?"

"Shh, I'm trying to sleep," Soji muttered with a chuckle.

_Tomorrow, then...Nate._

--

"Light..."

L, who roamed the streets of the city, continued to contemplate all that had happened before he had died. He was alive again, and it was over 7 years since his original death, so there was much to think about.

Light, in general.

"Light...he was Kira..." Long ago, only moments before L died, he saw his final sight: Light Yagami. He remembered exactly what he had saw before his death. _I was falling...I was dying...my end had finally come, and then...I saw him._ That corrupt memory ran through his head instantly. Light Yagami, staring down his fallen "comrade," an evil grin engulfing his face. "...Light...heh, so I was right all along."

The man stopped at the end of the block, watching the multitude of cars pass by in a blur. The cause of the blur was not because of their speed, although. With the plethora of confusing thoughts that rushed through his mind, all of L's senses came out a bit blurry. There was one specific thought, although, that even his mind, as intelligent as it was, feared to ponder for too long.

_My death was caused by Light...once when I died, who would be there to accuse him of being Kira if any of my comrades were to die? I could be alone...completely alone..._

It wasn't like L to want to so badly break down and release his despair, but something such as this was too much for even a man of his stature. As the lights on symbolized for the cars to stop, people walked ahead. L, although, was not one of those people. _I must find out...I need to find out...what the hell has happened!_

He moved forward, his original walk evolving into a full-fledged sprint. While manuevering through the crowd of slow moving people, he tried his best to push the thoughts of despair out of his mind. His drive was back. No matter what lengths he would have to go to do so, he'd have to find out what had happened during his absence. He didn't have a choice, he figured.

--

It was morning, the sun had once again started its' routine shine on the dangerous city of Kazahana. Soji had already exited his home and was off through the streets, prepared to come face to face with Near once more.

Sora, being Sora, had a mind that was still full of questions on the "Near" subject. "Soji!"

With a sigh, the man dreaded to answer the angel, but saw no other way out of it. "Yeah?"

"A question about Near...you said he's much younger than you, correct? Well, that means that he shouldn't have the detective skills that you've acquired, correct?"

_Oooooh, when'd she get all grammatical? _"I don't follow."

"What I'm trying to say is...is Near smarter than you?"

"Are you kiddin' me?!" Soji was strangely quick to answer. "That kid may be a genius and all, but he's got nothin' on this guy!"

For the first time in history, an angel wore a devilish grin. "You sure didn't hesitate to answer that one, did you? did my question put a little pressure on you?"

"What?!"

"Your not gonna make it to heaven by lieing, Soji!"

"Who the hell sa...alright! No more pointless conversation until we get there!" He slyly tried to pick up the speed in hopes of leaving Sora behind.

With a giggle, Sora follows closely after the man. "Sorry, just couldn't resist. So, tell me...exactly how do you know Near? You said that he's where you got all of that confidential stuff that you knew about, right? I'm sure he wouldn't just tell to some random guy about L and the Kira case, regardless of how old the info may be."

Hidden from Sora's view, Soji smiled one of the devil. "Yes, your absolutely right. Near and I, we're closer than a lot of people know."

"Heh, spill!"

"Eh, I'm sure you'll find out soon, and I hate spoiling things, sorry." Zoning out in an attempt to avoid the nagging that was soon to follow, Soji looks ahead. _Hmm...maybe this is all a mistake, going to meet up with him so early...no, he's definitely heard of Law, he's probably relocated to the building..._

"Up ahead, Sora." Soji said, pointing ahead. "There it is...the SPK building..."

"SPK?"

"Eh, I never really found out what it meant, all I know is that when something like Law breaks out, this where I can find that kid." Walking up the steps, Soji entered a large courtyard that rested before the building.

The angel was dumbfounded by the sight, almost at a lost for words. Almost. "Oh my god...this thing is huge! Are you gonna have to climb this entire thing?!"

"Heh, like fuck."

--

Entering the SPK building, Soji is almost immediately confronted by a small group of armed guards.

"Please supply us with I.D. and the cause of you visiting the building, sir."

"Well, my name is Soji Kawas Ikara." As he said this, a mumble was heard between the group of guards. "And, now that you know that, you probably already know why I'm here, right?"

"Y-yes sir. Please, follow me."

"Wow, I see you've got a few connections!" Sora yelled.

"Hell yeah."

--

And there he stood: before the door that lead to the room of Near himself. Although, if it was anyone else of this importance, Soji would no doubt take a moment to contemplate the impact of what was about to occur.

To Soji, though, this was not one of those times.

"Yo! Nate!" Soji yelled, banging on the door. "Open it up! It's Soji!"

...

"Damn it, I know you hear me! Open the door!"

'I'd appreciate it if you refrained from using my name in public, regardless of the few people around us, Soji.'

"Yeah, sure, just open up, will you?"

The door slowly creaks open, as if hesitant to reveal what's inside. When it finally reveals it's contents, Near, Nate Rivers himself, is found standing before Soji. The room was one that any normal person would live in, although Near was far from it.

"Soji...how have things been? I heard you had a rough time at the JDF meeting yesterday."

"Woah, look at you! You've gotten at least 3 inches taller since the last time I saw you, which ain't sayin' much, I know, but still!" Soji said, joking.

"Uh...looks like you've lost a few IQ points to couple my gain, haven't you?"

"Woah, no need to go on the offensive...lil' bro."

As the words exit Soji's mouth, the two men can do nothing but stare each other down, a smirk appearing on both of their faces.

Sora stares at the two of them in shock, a smal gasp accidental escaping her system. "B-brother? You two...are brothers?"


	7. Chapter 6: Brothers

**Kiseki: Hmm...I'm not entirely sure if the name of the town that they all lived in in DN was really said. If so then, eh, just play along. :p lol, jk.**

**And yeah, the Bleach Movie was good, but it was only in theatres for 2 days, sorry. **

**Finally, sorry for lack of chapters, but I got summer school, takes up time. :( And even though I'm only 14, I've still got weekend business. BTW, I plan on sending you all the links for the pictures of Soji and Sora, seeing as I won't be able to place them here. Expect something within the next day.**

**Now...**

**--**

"Brothers..."

Sora was still in a bit of shock from what Soji had said. A part of her almost expected something such as this, while the other part of her was blown away by the info.

"Soji! Are you serious about this?! I mean...are you and Near...are you really brothers?!"

"Shh, I'll explain it all later." Soji said aloud, hoping to catch the attention of Nate.

"Hmm? Who are you talking to?"

Bingo. "Huh? Oh, I'll explain in a minute. Now...wouldn't you like to invite your big bro into your...room?"

"It depends..." Nate muttered, firmly grasping the doorknob. "Do I have a choice?"

"Yes."

Without word, Nate began to close the door in Soji's face. Before it closed, though, Soji put his foot in the doorway, stopping Nate's attempt. With a smirk and a sigh, Soji entered the room, followed by Sora.

Scanning the room, Soji fully approved of what he saw. "Heh, good to see that your doing well, on your own...but some habits never die, huh?" As Soji spoke, he knelt down to a small table in the room, a large supply of 'action figures,' as Near would probably refer to them as, scattered across it.

"W-wait! Don't touch them, their collectibles." He rushed by their side, quickly putting them in their correct posture. "I'm sorry, but you have no idea what I had to go through to get these. I haven't even begun playing with them yet."

Sora chuckled at the boy's care for his toys. "Heh, that's so cute!"

"Yeah, adorable." Soji muttered in a clearly mock of a tone. "Nate, sit down. I need to talk to you about something."

"Yes, yes...would it have to do with Law?"

"Heh, straight to the point, huh?" Quickly sitting down, he began to pull out the Life Note. "So...you've heard of him?"

"I believe you saw the broadcast, didn't you? There must be something wrong with the man who hasn't heard of Law."

"The deaths by heart attacks...kinda reminds you of someone, huh?"

Near was a bit reluctant to comment on Soji's implication. "Kira...I prefer to not bring up the past, regardless of how gallant a victory that was for me."

"Law...he has to be connected to Kira somehow, hmm? Think that he may have been some sort of...I don't know, a successor?"

"Light Yagami was done away with years ago. I'm positive that even he wasn't planning this far ahead." His words shot toward Soji, each one coming with a bit more force than the one before.

"Light Yagami...so, that was Kira's name, huh?"

Near smirked. "Heh, don't act like this is news to you...I believe I gave you this info years ago, didn't I?"

_Ding, _said something in Soji's head.

"Yeah! About that info you gave me!" The man was quick to jump from his seat when he was reminded of his purpose for coming here. "L Lawliet...for some reason, I don't buy that name."

"What?"

"Was the really the 'great detective L's' name? I mean, there's no parents cruel enough for that."

"Funny." In response to Soji's actions, Near also stood up. "Nope. I assure you that 'Lawliet' is no joke...I have files, if you'd like see them as a sort of...confirmation."

The two exchanged a long glare, although Soji's slwoly began to let up.

"...Do I have your word?"

"Most definitely."

"Alright then." Soji held up the Life Note, passing it to Near.

"What's th..." He read the words "Life Note" printed on the front of the book. "Oh my...god..."

"You remember the Death Note, don't you?"

"Life Note...a note of Life..."

"Now, I can understand if you find this all a bit farfectched, Nate, but I assure you this. Just as the Death Note was no joke, what you hold in your hands right now is real."

"How did you get your hands on this?" Opening the, Nate read the two names printed on the front page.

"...Kiki Shiori, she was a woman that was killed by a couple 'a thugs in the streets. And L Lawliet...an explanation shouldn't be required."

"You tried to revive L...Soji...is this some kind of joke?"

"Not a chance! You have my word!"

"This is what happened yesterday? You announced to the entire JDF that you were reviving L Lawliet? Do you understand what you could have done to him if this had actually gone through?"

"Nate...

"To get him to announce his return to all of Japan...L would be better of dead."

"You don't mean that...do you?"

"He's a man of secrecy. Even if it had worked, he would have came back having a burning hate for you, I'd bet." He closed the Life Note, passing it back to Soji. "A disaster...it would've been."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"Yeah, he didn't really have much to build off of when he tried to revive him!"

Near's head was down when he heard a feminine voice. His head lifted up as he looked at the sight of the floating girl in almost disbelief. "Soji...who is this?"

"Who's...what?" It didn't take long for Soji to guess who Nate was talking about. Although he didn't know how he had gained the ability to both see and hear Sora, it was clear that he had.

"Heh, hello there! My name is Sora, I'm an angel!"

Usually, when a flying girl tells you that she's an angel, regardless fo the fact that she's flying, your gonna be a bit unbelieving. Near, though, was the exception. "An...angel..."

"Uh, yeah, this is Sora."

"I got that part..." Memories of the Kira case flooded his mind as he searched for a reason an "angel" was flying in his own room. "The Death Note...it was originally owned by a Shinigami, a god of death. I guess that, to contradict that, the Life Note is owned by an angel, whom people see as a god of life."

"Nice use of context clues!" Sora said in her naturally chirpy voice.

"So...the Life Note is no joke after all?"

"Man, we're brothers. Mom always said not to lie, right?"

"Ooo!" Sora said, slamming her fist into her palm. "I forgot about that! The two of you...are you really brothers? I mean, what are the chances of that really being true? Kinda unbelievable, if you ask me."

With an arch of their eyebrows, Soji and Nate both looked up to Sora.

"Well...I've got time. How about we let her in on our life story?" Soji said.

"Yes...I see no harm in it. If there's anybody we can trust, it's going to be somebody from heaven, I figure."

Sora curled up on the ground, about to burst with excitement. "This is gonna be a good one, I can tell! Let's start!"

"She's kind of childish..." Near muttered.

"...Said the 17 year old who still plays with 'action figures.' Now, allow me to begin." With a clear of his throat, he was ready. "Well, it all started 28 years ago. I was born."

"Amazing." Sora said, sarcastically.

"Heh, I like her."

"SHUT UP, DAMN IT!" Soji exclaimed, clearly fed up with the interruptions. "Alright, I was born! Had a mom! Had a dad! Had an attitude!"

"Hmm?"

"Alright...picture this. I was a kid...I was misguided. When I was young, you can kinda characterize me as a completely different person than what I am now."

"Oh..."

"I seemed to find trouble everywhere I went. And I said what I meant: I folled trouble, it didn't follow me. It seemed like I was asking for it, even though I wouldn't admit it."

"He was little demon child, I was told. Whether it be at school, at home, or just around the town that he lived, he was a menace. Of course, we lived in America back then." Near added.

"Isn't this my history? Shouldn't the man who lived it, tell it?" Turning back to Sora, he continued. "I guess I regret everything I did back then. Turned out that I was more of a menace than I even knew myself."

"What?"

"There was this one day...I was walking down the street, heading home from school. I walked by this store and saw this one toy...I was 10, so I stilled played with that stuff, and could without being classified as weird." It was clear who Soji was comparing himself to.

Near muttered a few unaudible words under his breath.

"So...I wanted it...back then, I got what I wanted. So I took action."

"No...you didn't!" Sora said, in shock.

"Yes. _Wam. _I bashed the windows, yep, broke 'em all down. Grabbed the toy, and took off. Of course, the law wasn't so far behind me."

"Soji..."

"What was I to do, huh? I was just a kid against the Law. I was caught in 5 minutes, suprised I lasted that long in the chase."

"This time, though..." Near barged in once more. "...It was a real crime. There was no way that the law would let this one pass, looking at Soji's record. He was too young, though, so it was clear that jail wasn't an option. Instead, his father had to pay the price."

"B-but that's not fair for his father, is it?!"

"Nothing like this had ever happened before, so they had to improvise. Besides, the parents were partly to blame for his actions...he should have been taught better."

Soji didn't even waste time thinking of halting Near's explanation. He had hit the nail right on the head, no doubt. "I was devastated, my mother even more so. My family was broken...there was no fixing it."

"Then...I came along, right?" Near asked, sporting a bright grin.

Soji couldn't help but smile at Near's comment. "Yes...then Nate entered our life. For one reason or another, my mom took a chance and adopted a kid, hoping that he would help refill the lost 'something' in our family. Turned out, though, that it had more than one effect."

"So...Nate is an adopted child?"

"Yes, I am."

"Anyway, I was 11 years old when Nate entered my life. By age 12, everything had changed for me."

"Yeah...I was only a kid back then...regardless, even I could see how you were slowly beginning to alter...when I met you, you seemed to always be wearing that dirty old pout, didn't you?"

"Yeah...one year later..."

"Bright smiles...you used to light up the entire room with them. You were a changed boy."

Soji gave off one of those bright smiles before continuing. "All because of you, man...all because of you, bro...I don't know, I guess having a brother kinda thrusted a new sense of responsibilty upon me. It took me a while to get used to it, but I adjusted...I changed."

"Awww!" Sora said, touched by the brotherly love. "That's so sweet!"

Soji and Near both gave Sora a bit of a glare, but not for obvious reasons.

"But...things can't last forever...something had to give." Soji muttered.

"The thing is, I was a genius. An intelligence such as mine, at such a young age? Word was soon to get around."

"Years passed. I was 18, and Nate was about 11. Sure, it was embarassing that my little brother was 10 times smarter than me, but I wouldn't have changed anything if I could...turned out, though, I didn't have a choice."

"One day...we were visited by a man." Near, his eyes moving away from his company.

Soji store at Nate, who clearly wasn't prepared to return the glance. "It changed everything..."

--Flashback--

A younger Soji and a younger Nate were in the living room of their house. While Nate layed down on the floor, messing around with his toys, Soji was doing homework.

"Choo choo!" Nate said, moving a town train across the floor. "Whoosh!" A toy airplane flew across the rooms' airspace, guided by the boy's hand.

"Damn it...Nate? Mind cuttin' the noise down just a little bit?"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"A genius little boy can't state the obvious? Doin' homework."

"Well...maybe I can help you?" He stood up quickly, walking toward his brother.

"I can do it on my own, thanks."

Nate stood over his shoulder, scanning the answers on the paper. "Eh...your so sure?"

There was a ring at the door.

"I'll get it!" Nate said, walking toward the door.

"Don't think so, sorry." Soji picked up the boy and sat him on the couch before walkign twoard the door. As he did, Nate picked up his toyed and continued to play.

"Who is it?"

"Is this the Rivers home, sir?"

"Yes...it is...why?" Soji slowly began to open the door out of pure curiousity.

"Hello, sir. My name is Quillish Wammy...may I ask if your mother is home?"

--End of Flashback--

"Quillish Wammy, better known as Watari. He was a man of pure genius, a great inventor back in his day." Near complimented.

"I don't give a damn how much of a genius that man was! He ain't nothin' but a..."

"Soji...please try and contain your emotions."

"Um, going to finish the story?"

Soji turned to Sora, his fierce expression not yet faded away. "Gladly. He wanted to meet with my mom to talk about Nate and his genius...ness."

--Flashback--

Inside his mothers', she and Quillish are meeting with each other. Nate was still in the living room, obilvious to what was happening as Soji rested his ear upon his mothers' door, listening on the conversation.

'Mrs. Rivers...I'm sure you know that your son is quite gifted.'

'Soji or Nate?'

'Nate. He's quite the young man. Boys such as him, they were given their abilities for a reason.'

'I'm sorry Mr. Wammy, but I don't believe I follow...'

'Well ma'am, what I'm trying to say is that your son is special...and have interest in children of his stature.'

What Soji heard next was simply something he couldn't take.

'I'd like...I'd like to have your permission to...no, I'd like invite your son to a place called the Wammy House. Simply put, it's a orphanage for children such as your son. I'd like...your permission to relieve him of his spot in this family.'

Soji was quick to burst into the room as he heard those words. He instantly caught the attention of his mother and Quillish.

"Soji?"

"Mom...what the hell is this man talking about?!"

"Soji, you should know better than to eavesdrop on an adult conversation!"

"Tell me, damn it! He wants to relieve Nate of this family...are you trying to say your going to take him away from us?!"

"Soji, is it? Please, stay calm. I assure you that..."

"I don't need you to assure me SHIT! That kid...you think can just take away because he's smart?!"

"Soji Rivers!" His mother yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"That boy out there is my mother fuckin' brother! Whatever the reason, I don't care! Nobody on this earth...nobody! I'm not going to let NOBODY," he yelled, aware of his grammar, "TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME!"

_Smack._

It was clear that, lost in rage, Soji hadn't noticed his mother walk up to him. She slapped him across the face, leaving half of it beet-red.

"Soji, you know better than to act this way in the presence of a guest...you were raised better than this!"

"...No...I wasn't."

Leaving his mother in shock, he walked out of the room. He ran through the house, making his way to the living room where Nate was still playing with his toys.

"Soji? What was all that yelling just now? Is something wrong?"

Soji dashes toward his brother and wraps his arms around him in a hug. Tears pour from his eyes, his body not able to contain all of the anger, despair, and fear he felt.

"Soji...what's wrong?"

"Nate..."

"..."

"I want you to know...lil' bro...whatever happens...I love you...little brother."

"Soji..."

"Whatever happens..."

--End of Flashback--

"That day...that was the last time I saw Nate for years. That Quillish man was quick to take Nate away from us, and my mom didn't do a damn thing to stop her."

"Oh my god..."

"That's when I changed once more. I wasn't able to forget everything Nate had taught me...the love I had learned to give. But a part of my old self came back...and there was no getting rid of it this time. So, that's what I am today."

"Soji, it's not like I didn't have a good life at the Wammy House...there was no reason for you to go ballistic!

"Nate was gone, and my mom didn't give a shit. And I didn't give one about here, either...I wasn't a genius, so I didn't exactly get a chance to guess where this Wammy House was, but I best bet was right here, in the land of the rising sun. I mean, he looked Japanese enough, don't you think?"

"Turns out it was actually in England. Soji, although, didn't know that."

"All those years...they were wasted. But Japan was the sole reason that I was reunited with Nate, truthfully. The Kira case."

"Kira! So, he did do some good, I guess!" Sora yelled.

"When I had learned that the greatest detectives from all over would be coming to help, I just figured that Nate had to be doing something over those years. I actually highly doubted that what I said was the truth, but I was desperate. I went to every official building that I suspected was working the case that I could find...all in hopes of finding my lil' bro."

"One day, I got a message that some guy was being escorted from the building after repeatedly demanding to meet those on the case. Spiky black hair. Obnoxious, ignorant, stubborn, determined." It was clear that he was exaggerating.

"Bottom line, Near wanted to that man see him out of curiousity."

"Everyone feared that I was walking into some kind of deadly trap, but I had a sense of assurance. Who knows?"

"And we met up with each other again. It had been 6 whole years...6 god damned years."

"Oooh! You have to tell me, how was the reunion?"

"Eh, my jaw's gettin' tired from talkin' so much...and look at the time, I think it's time for us to be on our way!"

"Hmm...yes, Soji, I agree."

"What?! But I still haven't had my fill of story! And you didn't even gain any info from this meeting!"

"Actually, I did. I learned that I could completely trust Near to give me the right info...and got relive a few bittersweet memories. I call that a success."

"B-b-but the story!"

"Heh, I almost feel bad for refusing to grant the wishes of such a cute face, but I'm with my brother on this one." Near commented.

"Ya know...you've changed. Anyway, I'll talk to you later. I know there's a bit of things that we never really got to fully discuss, but it can wait, right?"

"Yeah...definitely."

"Alright, let's go, Sora." The angel, her hopes crushed, flies ahead of Soji.

"Yeah...whatever..."

"By the way! Nate!"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if this is just my eyes' own misonception...but I think you may have gotten a bit taller." With that, he was out.

Nate stood there, a warm smile on his face. "Let's hope." Afterward, he returns to playing with his toys.

_...L...could you really be alive?_

He looked at the phone.


	8. Chapter 7: Loner

The visit Soji and Sora payed to Near was cut short by reasons only understandable by the two men themselves. The couple made their way back to Soji's apartment, Soji giving a recap to his companion of what he had found at the home the SPK had supplied Near with.

"Nothing..." he muttered with a sigh.

"What?"

"Other than the fact that Near is sure that Law is using a Death Note to perform these evildoings, we didn't find out a damn thing at Nate's place."

"Well, I learned a lot of things! You had a pretty rough childhood, Soji...I should probably start giving you a bit of an easier time?"

"Hmm? Sora, your an angel, your kind tends to not be all that vicious." Sora's lack of intelligence never came off of mutual between other angels. It was just her.

"Heh, of course!" She said, bonking herself on the head.

"And I suppose that we did learn one other thing about why L wasn't revived..."

"What's that?"

"Nate knew L pretty well, even to the extent that L would trust him to carry out his legacy after his death. Nate claimed that L was a man of complete secrecy, and that makes complete sense. What I ordered L to do through the Life Note was something that I highly doubt L would find himself doing."

_Ding_, went something in Sora's head.

"Ooo! Ooo! I have a explanation for this!"

"Hmm?"

"You see, both the Life Note and the Death Note, although they are exact opposites, share a few similiarities, mainly in the limits of what they can do."

"The power of a god has limits?"

"Maybe of a god of heaven, but THE god of heaven would be a different story. Anyway, listen...one of the rules that I, as your guardian, am obliged to fill you on is that the Life Note can only do so much in terms of after-revival actions."

"Is that so?"

"The notes don't have the power to make a person take any actions that they wouldn't do themselves. Since L is such a secretive guy, then I doubt you cold make him announce his "return" to all of Japan!"

Soji's upbeat steps came to an instant stop. The pupils in his eyes came near to disappearing. A shiny bead of sweat slowly traveled down the side of his face. His eyes scooted toward the side of his head as he looked up to Sora.

The answer had finally come.

"...Is that true, Sora?"

"Yes, it is! Why? Did I do good?"

"Seeing as that's such crucial info, I'll let the fact that you waited until now to tell me slip...basically, what your saying is that...L is alive?"

Sora nodded twice, her bright smile going unchanged.

_So...all this time...all this time that I thought that my attempts to revive the worlds greatest detective, attempts which I had thought had all gone to waste...I thought wrong?_

"Sora, tell me!" Soji said, his head shooting toward the heavenly being. "Is there any possible way that you can use your powerse to track those who I revived with the Life Note?"

"No, there isn't. Hey, I'm smart enough to know that you would have wanted to hear some kind of important info like that! D' you take me for an idiot or something?"

"I'm goin' to give you a chance to rethink what you just said." Walking along, Soji was easily able to retain all anger he had just processed due to the fact that he had no leads on where L could be, if it was true that he was alive.

Just as he was beginning to dig deep into his thoughts for a solution, a ring was heard from his pocket. He quickly pulled out his cellphone and gave the traditional answer: "Speak words."

'Um...excuse me?' It was a woman's voice.

"Ugh, hello?" Soji was Soji, and sometimes, Soji was confusing.

'Oh...anyway, Soji? Is that you?'

"Yes. Soji tends to answer Soji's cell phone," he muttered with an irritated roll of the eyes.

'Urgh, your not making this any easier, kid. Anyway, this is Shiei, from the JDF.'

"Shiei? What are you doin' callin' my phone?"

'Listen...about what happened the other day at the meeting, the other members of the Kazahana force have been concerned about you ever since that day.'

"Figured that this was about all that...listen, I'm completely fine. I don't need nor want the sympathy of a coupla of bastards who refused to trust a comrade of their own!"

'That's exactly how I expected you to react from this call...I'm going to have to ask you to stay calm. You see, after the entire incident was over, we looked into what you claimed to have the power to do. This tool...the Life Note...does it share any relations between the Death Note?'

"Death Note?"

'Don't play dumb, please. We both know what the Death Note is...Kira used it to kill during his rampage, and we figure that the two must have some kind of relation. So, do they?'

"Eh, I ain't tellin' you shit." Soji put a heavy amount of emotion into these words in an attempt to fully get his message through to the women.

A sigh was heard on the line. 'Soji...where are you right now?'

"Um...coming up on the corner of 35th."

'Good to know...you know the cafe right down the road from where you are? What do you say the two of us meet there, you know, have a little chat.'

"Whatever."

"What?" Sora muttered. "Soji...are you serious?"

"Hell, anything to hang up on this bitch!" He yelled, being sure to move his mouth away from the phone before speaking.

'Hmm...really?'

"Do you still want to go, or should we screw the entire thing? Either way works for me, but I'd prefer the latter."

'N-no, I'll meet you there, I was just surpised you accepted so quickly...anyway, I'll be there in about 15 minutes, find a nice seat, will you?' Before Soji was able to deliver a reply, Shiei hung up the phone, clearly as eager as Soji was to end the conversation.

"So...Soji...exactly who was that?"

"Shiei Onaki, a former comrade of mine when I was on the force."

"Comrade, hmm? A female comrade?"

"Don't even get any romantical ideas about the subject, she's a total...the two of us have never really been able to see eye to eye, quite frankly. Besides, she's like, what, 7 years older than me? I strictly only date girls who are mildly younger or the same age, as me."

"That's a little shallow, Soji..."

"Do you know me?" With a smirk, Soji reached the edge of the avenue. Seeing the cafe that he and Shiei had agreed to meet at, he moved forward, somewhat cautious of the entire thing, not knowing what to expect from the woman.

--

And there they were.

Soji sat across the small table from Shiei, the two exchanging a look of disgust at the situation. The Life Note was hidden safely in Soji's jacket, and he intended on it staying that way.

"Alright...what did you want to talk to me about, exactly?"

_Get me out of this hell..._the man thought.

"I'm sure that even someone as simple as you hasn't forgotten our over-phone conversation yet, Soji."

"If you plan on getting a sneak peek at the Life Note, you might aswell just take the check now." Ruffling with his hair, only one of his eyes were visible. That one eye, though, held a glare that's intensity made up for that.

"That's not the only reason I've come to see you today, Soji...it's about the force altogether."

"Hmm?"

"As you already know, since the incident, we've been doing some research on the Death Note. It was only our connections with the higher-ups that allowed us to do perform this task."

"Oh yeah? And what info did you stumble upon?"

"The Death Note...from what we found, the way the Kira was able to commit those murders was by writing the name of a person in the actual note. If I remember correctly, you also wrote inside the Life Note as you claimed that it would revive L."

"Yeah, and?"

"You didn't know this info until now, correct?"

Nobody in the force knew that Soji was, basically, related to Near. This info was not news to him by any means, but he had no other choice than to act as if it were. "What of it?"

"It raises interest in this entire 'Life Note' case..."

"Well, don't bother digging to deep. As you can see, I made a fool of myself in front of all those people, and to top that, **NO L**."

"There's still a strong possibility that you may actually be able to help us out with the Life Note, if it were to truly possess the power you say it does!"

"How's that?"

"The Life Note revives the dead, correct? This entire Law attack started by the death of the worlds' leaders...balance has been lost ever since then." She takes a quick sip of her coffee, but moans at the bitter taste.

"What the hell am I supposed to do about that?" It was clear that Soji was trying to prolong the inevitable as long as possible.

"What the hell are you talking about?! You damn well that you weren't joking about the power of the Life Note...there has to be some kind of reason why you've kept it secret! If it was fake, would it really matter?"

"Shiei..."

"There's no point in trying to keep it a secret...the Life Note is the real deal, isn't it?"

"...Fine." Soji had a plethora of excuses to use if he ever wanted to keep the Life Note secret, but he didn't see the point of it. Besides, he liked people to know that he held power, and a power like this was one that would turn heads. "The Life Note...it's real. What of it?"

"I knew it...Soji Ikara, do you understand what this means? With a power like this, you could...you could change the world!"

Looking around the cafe, Soji realized it was almost empty. It was a weekday, and this place never seemed to have much business during school hours. "Your lucky this place is deserted, otherwise you'd be spreading a ton of classified info with your screams of rage." Soji muttered, putting emphasis on the last part.

"Damn it Soji, be serious! With a power like this, you combat Law and possibly bring him to an end before he truly begins his rampage! If the Life Note is really real, then I'm sure the force would welcome yo..."

"You know, over my years, I've realized something, Shiei Onaki."

"What?"

"...The force...it's just not _me_, ya know? I'm realized that I'm more of a loner...I work alone." With that, he stood up, walking away from the table.

"Soji Ikara, listen to me!"

"Like hell I will! Shiei, I had my chance to show you all that the Life Note was real, and you had a chance to get a clear-cut advantage over Law. Looks like we both screwed up pretty badly, didn't we? Me and the force?"

"Soji..."

"If I am to fight Law...it's going to be alone, and by my own means. That's all you need to know." He stopped his walk, pausing directly before the exit. "And...that's all your going to know."

With that, he was gone.

Shiei stood there in dumbfoundment. Her fists were clenched almost to the point where the veins would pop. Her anger was overflowing, and she wasn't going to be able hold it in for much longer.

_Soji Ikara...I assure you...this sense of freedom you have, knowing that you posess such a power...it won't last very long. I assure you..._

--

Soji walked through the streets of Kazahana for the 3rd time today, and this time, it was a home stretch.

"You were really rude back there, Soji...you know that?!"

"Hmm?"

"You don't understand that woman, clearly...she just...all she wanted was for you to help fight against Law! What was so wrong with accepting her proposal?!"

"You heard what I said, didn't you Sora? I'm a loner! Working together with other people was never never my _forte, _sorry. I tried that once by going out on a limb and joining the force, but see where that got me!"

"Soji, your so stubborn sometimes! What the h..." The angel pauses, nearly going against everything that she stands for. Calming down to her usual serenity, she continues. "Are you afraid of being hurt like that again, Soji?"

"What?!"

"You just...you just don't want to befriend comrades whom you can't trust or can't trust you. You just don't want to be hurt anymore...correct?"

"Sora...I...urgh!"

Just as Soji was calm, his anger rose again as he ran into a man in the streets, the two of them bumping heads and giving out a groan of pain.

"Urgh...w-what the..." Soji looked up to the man. His clothing was tattered, his hair was long and messy, covering most of his face. He seemed to be the natural bum that you would see in Kazahana, but there was a mysterious air about him that would lead you to think differently. "...hell?"

"Oh...excuse me, sir." The man said.

Soji began walking ahead. "Eh, don't worry 'bout it." He lacked the time to deal with anybody but Sora at the moment. "Let's go, Sora." He muttered under his breath.

Sora sighed, trailing behind Soji. Just as she passed by the man, though, a shiver shot through her body. She was almost forzen from the feeling, and the instant it happened, she knew what the source of the sudden feeling was.

She turned her head around, looking at the man walking away. With every step he took away form her, the feeling would weaken. Looking at the aura inside his body, it was different from what angels like her would usually see. "Wait...could it...could it be..."

"What's up, Sora?" Soji asked, arching an eyebrow, confused.

"Soji...that man...he's..."

"Hmm?"

**"He's L."**

Soji froze the instant his brain processed those words. Although he would usually remain in that state for a minute, under the circumstances, he reacted quickly. "Are you sure?"

"I have no doubt...not a single one in my mind...his aura, the feeling I get when he's around...the Life Note has affected him! That's L!"

"_If your lying to me, Sora, I will kill you_."

"Hello...L."

Just as L was about to turn the corner, his footsteps came to a stop.

"..."

--

Hmm, just realized that L was barely in the past 2 chapters. Time for his role to take charge. ;)


	9. Chapter 8: Insolence

**Did anybody get this pics? Answer me and comment in reviews, if I sent you a PM with the pic URLs.**

**--**

The two men stood.

Soji was turned toward L, but L's back was toward Soji. Having heard Soji's mutter, he had stopped his walk, in shock at what Soji had said. He began to believe that may have been his flaw, to actually pay attention to what this odd man had said, but it was too late now.

"..." In the standing situation, any regular person would be under pressure, their heart racing, forehead sweating, and body fidgeting. L's appearance, although, striked one of completely calmness. Even he, though, was in a state of shock by the man's words. "Excuse me?"

"I said...'Hello...L. That is your name after all, right?" For the first time in a while, Soji felt like he was in complete control of the situation. He wore a devilish grin on his face as his eyes were glued to the man. "Right?" He said again for emphasis.

"I'm sorry, but I'm at a loss right now. Exactly who is this L person?"

"Sora, is this really him?" Soji muttered out the side of his mouth.

"I have no doubts, he's clearly just trying to hide his identity from you...find a way to break him!"

"'Find a way to break him'?" L muttered, his body still turned away from Soji. "I don't recall you have such a feminine voice before...is something wrong?"

_Wait...did he...he just heard Sora talking...damn it! I remember...anybody who was revived by the Life Note...they can hear and see Sora...that means I really have found him...this man...he really is L!_

"Thank you for your consideration and kindness, but I greatly dislike we people try and change the subject on me." Soji took a step toward L, his foot splashing in concentrated dew on the damp streets.

_Who the hell...is this man?! He knows my name...when I died, was this information leaked out to the public? Damn it...if speak with this man, he could reveal a plethora of information on exaclty how I'm alive today...but he could also have alternate motives, like this Law man I've heard of lately...another dangerous risk..._

Soji clears his throat, gaining Sora's attention. Without a sound, he points toward the man and spins his hand around.

"Hmm?"

"Move in." He whispered. "Now, Mr. Lawliet...I suggest that you stop playing this game and come out in the open. There's nothing that you can do to hide your true identity from me...I've got you completely figured out!"

Lawliet. He even knew L's last name. At this point, not even L was able to stay calm. Somehow, he had been figured out by this strange man...it was clear to L that he had something to do with, or at least knew something about, L's revival. There was no point in hiding anymore, considering how desperate he was. "...What do you know?"

"Everything. L Lawliet, regarded by most to be the greatest detective of all time. Worked on the Kira case about 7 or so years ago, but was killed by Kira himself, Light Yagami."

L's eyes widened as the man spoke. "So Light...truly was Kira...what happened to all of those people who worked on the case?"

"26 years old. During childhood, was adopted by Quillish Wammy and lived in the Wammy House, an orphanage for gifted kids, such as you were." It was clear, at this point, that Soji completely ignored L's question. "Grew up, holding your title as the most gifted of the children who lived in that orphanage. Hand-picked Nate River and Mihael Kheel as your successors, but was never clearly able to choose one. Has a strange obsession with any and all types of sweets."

_This man knows so much, it's unreal! _L, for one of the first times in his life, was beginning to lose his cool. "How the hell do you know all of this about me?!"

_Heh, Nate really does come in handy sometimes._

"It'll all be explained soon...not at the moment, of course, but in due time...of course, if you do want to know about it all, why don't you take a look my way?" Soji held up the Life Note in front of his body, but when L was to look, the book would be 2nd on his suprise list when Sora appeared before him.

L slowly turned to see the face of the man who had found out his identity. That was not the face before him, though, when he lifted the hair over his eyes. Sora floated in front of him, her wings lighting up all surrounding him. She flapped them, zooming in on L's face.

"Hiya!" she yelled, smiling.

L's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when his eyes layed upon the angel. His expressions, though, were only of mild suprise. "An...angel?"

"Heh, you guessed it! It's nice to meet you, I'm Sora!" Her cheeriness never seemed to cease.

_I was hoping she'd act a little more threatning, but I guess that's pretty tough for an angel, huh?_

"Soji Ikara." Soji said, stepping in front of Sora. "Listen, my apartment is just up the street from here. I really don't think you want to discuss something so...confidential out in the open like this. Wanna stop by?"

L gave a stare void of any and all emotions. It was clear he wasn't happy with the current situation, but he had no choice. "Very well then."

--

Soji frantically jammed his key into the door, the excitement of the Life Note finally coming through for him clearly overtaking his actions. When he opened the door, the two men walked in, followed by Sora, who, being the playful angel she was, flew through the wall instead.

"Nice place." L said. Whether he was serious or simply mocking Soji because of the situation he presented him with wasn't clear.

"Thank you. Now, take a seat." Soji's tone of voice was almost an exactly replica of L's own.

L walked toward a chair in the room and sat down, putting his arms on the rests. "Hmm...this isn't right..." Quickly, he jumped up, propping his legs up on the chair as he placed his hands on his knees. "Yes...now, shall we begin this discussion?"

"Dude?" Soji muttered, confused at L's posture. "What up with the position? Preparing to run just in case I've got a gun stashed?"

"No, no, that's not it all. It's just that if I sit normally, like you do, the rationality level of the info that my brain processes currently will decrease 40 if I were to sit like people such as yourself."

"...Right on!" Soji said, seeing it as the only way to get off this topic. "Now, L...let's get on the matter at hand."

"Yes...yes...you wouldn't happen any type of sugary snack stashed somewhere, would you? as you seem to already know, I've been dead for a few years now and I'm simply starving..."

"NO! Alright?! Damn it, I didn't bring you here to answer your stomach's call! You're here because we've both got some questions to ask each other, so pay attention!"

"Calm down, Soji!" Sora yelled. "How would you feel if you hadn't eaten in years?!"

"I probably wouldn't feel anything, SORA, because I'd be dead!"

"Exactly." L said, smiling.

Even early in the game, it seemed the Soji had already lost. He stormed across the room, into the kitchen, and began his cabinet ransack. "Ya want sweets?! Have your god damn sweets! Have your stomach's full god damn sweets!"

"It seems I've struck a nerve..."

"Have your...have your snickerdoodles!" Soji roared, launching a bag of said snacks at L. "A-and your jumbo sized marshmallows, and your twisty puffs, and this leftover cake from that business meeting last week!" The projectiles came faster and faster toward the detective, but he was not one to turn down a challenge.

L quickly grabbed each of the items just as fast, probably faster, than Soji can throw them. "Oh, cake..." he muttered happily under his breath. "Um, any strawberries?"

Ignore. "And have your fon...fondoudl...fondoodles? What the...I didn't buy this shit! How the hell did it even get in here?!"

"...May I?" L asked, raising his free hand.

"BE MY GUEST!" Soji said, launching it toward the man before taking his seat. "Alright...you've got your food, can we get on with this meeting?!"

"Of course," L said, content, desperately trying to open the snickerdoodle box.

With a sigh, Soji regained his cool. "Alright...I fully believe that you are L, to start off things. You've proven that by not only responding to what I said to you out on the street, but you can clearly see and hear my friend here."

"Sora...correct?" L said, devouring a single snickerdoodle in one bite. "Mm...heaven has descended upon me once more..."

"Heaven has descended upon both of us, L. You just don't know it yet."

"Excuse me?"

"From the knowledge of you that I have acquired, L Lawliet, ingenius use of your real name as an alias, by the way, you have come in contact with beings known as Shinigami in your previously lifetime, correct? Gods of death?"

"Yes...yes, that is true." With a smack of his lips, he continued. "Before you continue, Mr. Ikara, I have a question for you. How did you acquire all of this information about me when I'm positive that during my life, I have never come face to face with you?"

"Well that's easy. Nate River, better known as Near, your star successor? He's my younger brother."

"Near's brother? Hmm...it seems that Nate is the one with the brains in the family, hmm?"

Ignoring L's comment, Soji continued. "Nate told me a lot of things about you, L. I doubted his info for a while, but as it stands, there's no doubt left in my mind that he was giving me hard facts."

"Do you know...why I'm alive?"

L had sort of come out of nowhere with this question. All 3 of the people in that room knew that this would pop up sooner or later, but Soji had expected the latter.

"L...Gods of Death...their original owners of objects called Death Notes, correct?"

"Yes...ooh, jumbo sized." He was opening the bag of marshmallows.

"Well this angel that you see...she stands before you, the original owner of the one, and only, Life Note."

L gulped at Soji's words. Well, at least, the gulp would have been because of Soji's words if he hadn't also been snacking on a fondoodle at the moment. "Life...Note?"

"Yes. A note of Life. With it, I have the power to oppose the Death Note in a multitude of ways. With this notebook, I have the power to revive the long lost and dearly departed. I brought you back, L...and you are only one of many to come!" Soji was holding the Life Note in front of him as he spoke.

"Life Note..." L dropped his snacks, quickly moving up close to the note. "Life Note...this...this is no joke, I assume?"

"Hey! Your alive, aren't you? Ain't that enough proof?"

"Touche. May I?" L muttered, coping his hands around the book.

"Be my guest."

L grabbed the note, almost instantly flipping through the pages. "Kiki Shiori?"

"Oh, this really cute girl I met the other day. Was gettin' harassed by a couple of perverts, and I took action. Sadly, I wasn't able to save her in the gunfight."

"Gunfight? You had a gun?"

"I was apart of the JDF until a couple of days ago. Anyway, she died, but she didn't stay dead for very long, seeing as I was easily able to revive her. I got a lot of praise, along with 7 digits." Soji's boastful grin perfectly matched his words.

"Hmm...tell me, Soji...are you familiar with the work of Isaac Newton?"

"Uh, I don't think I revived that guy, sorry."

"No, no, no, Isaac Newton was an ingenious scientist who explained the laws of motion in ways that nobody before him had the intelligence to. 'Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external motion is applied to it.'"

"Law #1?"

"Correct. 'The relationship between an object's mass, _m,_ its' acceleration, _a_, and the applied force, _f, _is F MA. Acceleration and force are vectors; in this law, the direction of the force is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector."

"#2? And you memorized that thing?"

"And #3...for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. From what I assume, even though this law was created for motion alone, it applies to more worldly matters as well. The Life Note and the Death Note are complete and total opposites...two opposing forces...their power contradict with each other in every way possible."

_This guy...he really is L, huh? I mean, maybe it's just my lack of intelligence, but seeing him talk all smart-like...it's pretty cool..._

"And I assume that you and Law are just the same."

"You know about Law? But he came into this world before I revived you!"

"I wasn't able to gather much information on the streets, but the little I did was quite useful. Would you mind telling me what you know of this new threat?"

"Well, not much. It was 3 days ago, at night, that he made his broadcast. He spoke of how the world's peace was annoying him and all, and how he planned to ruin the balance that we had all strived to create for so long, things like that."

"How, exactly, did he come about bringing this imbalance?"

"He started out by killing pretty much all of the world leaders with the Death Note. We know it was the Death Note, because they all died of heart attacks."

"Exactly where was this broadcasted?"

"From what he did, I would begin to guess that it was broadcasted all over the world, if it was possible from the Sakura TV Station."

"Sakura TV...yes, it is definitely possible for a broadcast to reach all of the main areas of the world from a place such as that, but being that it was from Sakura TV tells us one thing."

"Which is?" Soji asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Japan. Somewhere in Japan...that's where Law made his broadcast. To put this data to even more use, there are only 4 Sakura TV Stations in all of Japan, it's quite the exclusive."

"Heh, that's kinda cool!"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't even think about all of that...it just came to you! Like, automatically! I think that's pretty awesome."

"Oh...well...thank you. Anyway, what we need to do is send out a team of highly skilled P.I. to the 4 destinations of Sakura TV. When we commence that plan, the procedures of how we will determine the whereabout of Law will co..."

"Um, L?"

"Yes?"

"We've a genius, an angel, and a slacker. 'Highly skilled P.I.' are out of reach right now."

"Well, you claimed to have been a member of the JDF, correct? Is there any reason why you can't gather a group from them?"

"I can think of 4, right off the top of my head."

"Hmm?"

"You see, I was kinda fired from the JDF...and once when I think about it...it was because of you!"

"...I apologize, but you've lost me."

"You see...just as you probably have found out with the Death Note, when reviving or killing somebody, you can write any terms of death or revival desired."

"You...designed terms for my revival?"

"Yes, I did. You were supposed to head to the Sakura TV Station and announce your return!"

"Announce...my return? To the entire town?"

"Hell, all of Japan. After the Law incident, we had this huge meeting of detectives from all over Japan. It was then that I decided to reveal the Life Note and bring you back to life for you could help us stop Law!"

"You...revealed a power like this to all of the detectives in Japan?"

"Yes, I did! I was made a fool of...and lost my job because of your willpower!"

_That explains why I had that urge to run to the Sakura TV Station shortly after I was revived...this boy clearly does not understand what means to be a detective...a power like the Life Note, he can't just reveal to everyone in the world like that!_

"You overturned my orders, L. You overcame the power of the Life Note...which resulted in my life taking a dive!"

"I'm sorry, but you seem like more of a loner than anything to me."

"That's not important right now, wouldn't you say? L?"

"Yes. What is important is how ignorant that move of yours was."

"What?"

"A power like this is not something that people are use to. It's no suprise that people didn't believe you...to top your already excessive insolance, you revealed my name to all of the world!"

"I...I...I wasn't thinking of the consequences..."

"Clearly. Do you realize that secrecy is what kept me alive as long as I lived! The name L Lawliet has reached few human ears...and now, that name was discussed between the entire Japanese Detective Force...you clearly don't understand how much secrecy meant to my existence."

"You sure didn't have any problem with revealing your face to Kira. To Light Yagami." Soji's glare burned straight through L.

After hearing these words, L stood up, facing the exit. "What was your purpose for bringing me back into this world, Soji?"

When Soji realized he was facing the exit, he quickly snatched the Life Note from L's hands. "I wanted you to come back and help us find Law! You were regarded as the greatest detective of all time, and I respected you for that. For some reason, though, that respect has diminished a bit."

"Likewise...you clearly have the determination and drive to succeed, but you are just a kid..."

"Kid?! I'm 28 years old, I'm older than YOU, damn it!"

"...That may be true, but age does not bring along wisdom, and it seems this is especially true in your case. Now, Soji Ikara, I don't want you to begin thinking that I'm am not thankful that you have brought me back into this world, but I, at the moment, can not trust a free comrade such as you to aid me in this case."

"You've got nowhere to go, L! What the hell do you plan on doing?!"

"I've found my way out of worse situations, I'm sure. Goodbye, Soji Ikara." Before making his exit, L reached for the bag of fondoodles. "Um, may I?"

"Fuck. No." Soji said, putting a heavy amount of emphasis on each of the words.

With a sigh, L, walked out of the room.

_It seems that brothers, sometimes, can prove to be nothing alike...he did have a point, though. I have nowhere to go...I still am not sure of what happened to all of my old comrades...I've got no surefire leads on what to do...but I have an idea on where to start._

And off he went.

--

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...I'm positive." Shiei Onaki stood before the other members of the KJDF. "He denied at first, saying it was simply a joke...but I weasled it out of him. Soji Ikara is in possession of a note of Life...he assured me that the abilities of it are just as he said days ago."

"Shiei, you do realize that if this is false info...you will pay a hefty price for misleading us?"

"I do...but I have no doubts that it was all true...I assure you."

"Alright. We have no leads on Law at the moment, so, finding out info on this 'Life Note' is probably our best bet in getting closer to Law and his operation. We will dispatch a large group of members of the KPD, just in case he attempts to resist. Either way...Soji Ikara will be paying us a little visit, soon enough.


	10. Chapter 9: Capture

**All I've got say is sorry for the delay. Check this, I actually was pretty sure I uploaded Chapter 9 2 days ago, but my computer must have not processed it onto the story, so I saw it today and I was like, WTF?! :p Enjoy.**

**--**

_He's right...as it stands, I'm alone._

L was always somewhat of a loner during his detective years. The only time he had ever given up that life of solitude was on the Kira case, and that only resulted in his death. For one reason or another though, the fact that he was human was stuck in his mind.

Humans needed companions.

As he walked through the Kazahana streets, he knew this was true. Solitude had been his thing, but he knew that alone, the result of the Law case would be similar to those of Kira case. Whether he liked it or not, as was the Kira case, Law was going to be a case that he simply couldn't face head-on. Not without help.

--

"Excuse me? You claim to want to see Near?"

L's meeting with Soji, who claimed to be the brother of Nate River, one of L's disciples at the Wammy House, reminded him of the possibility that Nate was still alive. Simply walking into the SPK building may have been dangerous those years ago, but the fact of that matter was that L was thought to be dead for year. To most, his name meant nothing.

"Yes, kind sir."

"The relocation of Near to this building is classified info...exactly how did you come across something so confidential?"

"I have my ways." His hair was still covering all view of his face in order to conceal his identity from the public. As if it mattered, though, seeing as nobody would probably recognize the man anyway.

"Hmm..." Reaching under the desk, the man pressed a red buttton. "Operator...patch me in with Room 643 on Floor Q."

After the sound of a whirring rain fade passes, the words 'Hello' are spoken through the speaker.

"Yes...Near, I have somebody who requests a meeting with you." As this man speaks, a few security guards surround the desk, just in case L was prepared to try anything.

'Someone to see me?' A somewhat annoyed sigh was distinctable through the fade. 'Does he have this obnoxious attitude?' It was clear that Near suspected Soji to be the visitor.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Near, but this isn't your brother." L said aloud, an equal amount of emphasis put in each of the words spoken.

'...Who is this?'

"It's...Ryuuzaki. It's also been a while, Near."

'Bring him up to my private room.' It was an abrupt ending to a short and confusing conversation. The rain fade continued after he hang up.

"So, will I be receiving a special escort?" L muttered, chuckling.

--

And there they stood.

In front of the door to the room of Nate River, better known as Near, L and the guards stood. It was a few seconds before the door slowly creaked open, Nate standing in shock at the sight. Well, his emotions were that of shock, but his composure would not allow anyone to guess that it was so.

"Ryuuzaki..." Near stared at his long lost mentor in awe. Although Near was never truly fond of L as a person, the fact that everything he knew, he learned from him was able to warm his heart somewhat.

"We'll be waiting right outside the door, just in ca..."

"That...won't be necessary." Near muttered. "I fully trust this man, I'm assure you that no harm will fall upon me."

"Um...yes sir."

Just as L walked into the room, the guards closed the door behind him and took their leave from the hall.

"L..."

L sat down in his usual position, giving Nate an almost creepy smile. "Good to see you, Nate."

"L...so, you really are alive..."

_Heh, Soji...looks like you actually came through this time. This time, you did._

"How have you been these past years? It's been almost a decade since I've seen you, correct? And that's not even counting in the years I was...gone."

"Yes, it has. You were dead for quite some time, I didn't think the day would come that I'd see your face again."

L slowly lifted the hair from over his face. "Well, I apologize for not staying dead." He joked.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that, if I offended you. It's just that..." Thoughts of the Life Note, and how the world actually had an advantage, as well as a fighting chance, over and against Law. "Tell me...do you know how you returned to this world, L?"

"Soji Ikara." L muttered flatly.

_So...he's already met Soji? But Soji had just come by about 12 hours ago..._

"Guessing from your silence, I conclude that he wasn't lying when he said that you were his brother, was he?"

"Where did you meet him?" His words came fast.

"The streets. After being revived, there wasn't much for me to do other than what I did. It was pure luck that your brother had stumbled upon me."

"We're not related by blood, Soji and I. I'm an adopted child, truthfully."

"Adopted by their family, then again by Watari, you say? It's strange, you never told me of this...although it doesn't suprise me. The you're are almost nothing alike, you and Soji."

"Soji is...different. The way he thinks...the way he acts...they're a lot like your own methods, L, in a sense that neither of them are clearly understandable by the normal person. He may not look it, nor act it, but he is, by no means, simple."

"Him and I are alike, in a way?"

"L...seeing as you met Soji, I assume that you've already acquired information from him about the Life Note, correct?"

Silence.

"The Life Note...heh, the Life Note...a wondorous item indeed, wouldn't you say, Nate?"

"Soji brought to life because he respected your abilities as a detective and wanted your help. I would only see it fit that you show him more respect in return, L."

"I, in no way, said that I do not have respect for Soji Ikara. I just feel that the Life Note is one of the few things that Soji Ikara can do to aid in this case...I'm trying to save as many lives from Law as I can. Soji can use the Life Note, that's one of the only things I feel he can do that will help this case. He won't be of much use, other than that."

"We won' t make much progress in this case if we don't learn to make sacrifices, L! You know that better than anyone, seeing as you made more of a sacrifice than any of us ever did." It was clear that Near was quickly growing tired of L's attitude toward the subject.

L chuckled, smiling at his pupil. "Very well done, Nate. I've been gone for quite a while, and I wanted to make sure that you hadn't lost that courage that made me so interested in you as a disciple. Though I highly doubt your lack of initiative has altered much, it makes me happy to see you devoted in such a case."

"Are you saying that that attitude you just had..."

"Simply part of a test...to see if I could rely on you to work with me on this case."

"Hmm...I can't say that I approve of your methods of testing me...but..." As he spoke, he began fondling with a few action figures scattered across the floor. "...Their effective." He looked up to his mentor with a smile, handing him a toy.

"What's this?"

"I thought you'd like to know what happened in the Kira case, L. Quite a few people who took part in the case are no longer with us...maybe playing with the toy while I explain everything to you will easy your mind?"

L was quick to hand the figure back to Near. "I'll pass...although, if you happen to have anything sugary stashed here, I wouldn't refuse an offer."

--

Soji walked through the streets of Kazahana, his destination unknown to even him. He was just walking. After what had happened to him, walking was the only way he could get rid of the compiling stress that he seemed to be put under ever since he found the Life Note.

"Shit...look at my ass, tellin' L that he's got nowhere else to go, no other options, alone in this world...what the hell do I got, huh?!" He yelled. "I mean...I lost my job. It was really a downer on me, but at least if I was on the force still, when I told somebody I brought L back to life they'd believe me. Besides, I don't want all that unnecessary attention targeted towards me anyway."

"That woman? What, Mrs. Onaki?"

"Oh, you mean Shiei? What about her?"

"She seemed to have faith in you, AND the powers of the Life Note. You said that she was still on the force as well, so wouldn't she be the obvious 1st choice to tell all of this to?"

"Yeah, yeah, for she tell the whole fuckin' JDF? Wouldn't be suprised if she already did though, after I told her that the Life Note was real..."

"But you didn't think she'd believe you! You said it yourself, you two aren't on good terms."

"Yeah, I did...but that doesn't matter. Bottom line is that she's got quotes from me, that's all she really needs for the JDF to listen to her. Besides, she's one of the highest ranked people on the force, so it's not like they were just going to dismiss her case in the first place."

"So, basically..." Sora said, awaiting Soji to finish the sentence.

"I'm screwed." He said bluntly.

"Oh...sorry to hear that."

Soji's eyes shoot toward Sora, the glare attacking her like daggers. "If you weren't so...intangible, I'd murder you!"

"I highly doubt that you would. Remember, if you ever commit any truly evil acts before your 5 pure revivals have been fulfilled, hell well be your one and only future."

"Oh...oh yeah...I remember that rule...5 pure revivals, heh? How many am I up?"

"Well, you've got 4 left."

"F-four?! I've only revived two people with the Life Note, and that was that Kiki Shiori woman, and L. Which one of those counted as one?!"

"Kiki."

"So...L wasn't a pure revival?! B-b-but I-I did it to stop Law!"

"Bringing L back to life, in general, would have counted towards your pure revival count if it weren't for the actions you tried to take. You almost broke a rule of both the Life and Death Notes. Remember, the one of how the notes don't have the power to make a person perform an act that they would do themselves? The notes' power had to truly kick in to stop L from performing that act, so, well...you fail."

"This entire thing is just a pain in th..." An eerie feeling fell upon Soji before he was able to finish his sentence.

This feeling was new to him. The chill that came with it slowly ran down his spine, stopping him in his tracks. "Sora...is there someone following us?"

"Huh?"

"I just...I get the feeling that somebody is behind me, that's all..."

"Ooo-ooo-ooo, lemme go check!" Before Soji declined that offer, she had already flown back, scoping out the perimeter.

As Soji continued his walk, his eyes scanned what was ahead of him, and he saw a dark alley just up to the right. _Damn it..._

Sora returned to Soji's side, leaning in toward his ear. "Turns out that you were right, you do have stalkers! Good ear!"

"StalkerS?" Emphasis on the 2nd S.

"Yes, they're about 3 men wearing all black, seemed to be armed with guns somewhere on them, considering the bulges in their clothing.

"Guns? Somebodies trying to take me out?!" He made sure that even though technically he was still yelling, it was a soft yell.

"Ok, what I would do in a situation like this, is stay calm, maybe enter a store or something. They can't do anything in public, it was be cause for attention."

"How 'bout we try my plan instead?"

Instantly after saying that, Soji was off. He dashed into the alley up ahead, the men quickly chasing after him. When he reached the end of the alley, he turned around to his pursuers.

"What the hell's up with you 3? Who hates me enough that they'd send for me to be killed?"

"We're not...going to kill you, Soji Ikara. As a matter of fact, we won't even have to shoot you if you cooperate in full with this operation."

"...Who are you from?"

"The JDF."

"Oh, well that's all I needed to know right there!" Soji leaped backward, onto the all behind him, before thrusting himself off of it and into the air, grabbing a ladder attached to the left wall.

After realizing his actions, the men opened fire and Soji. One blast had shot the top of the ladder, causing it to completely break from the building.

"Urgh, shit!" Soji muttered under his breath as he took one more step onto the ladder before leaping into the air, grabbing onto the ledge of the building and quickly climbing up.

As he got to the top of the building, suprise suprise, 2 more of those black-dressed men were awaiting him.

"Soji Ikara, if you want to secure your safety in this situation, I suggest you not resist us." One of the men said, pointing his gun toward Soji.

"Ya know, I was never all that good at takin' suggestions...sorry." Soji turned around and leaped toward the ledge of the other building, grabbing another ladder that held it up.

Sora watched in despair as the men began to take fire upon Soji once more. Knowing that she was unable to aid her companion only worsened the matter. "Soji!"

Boom.

It all happened so quickly. Blood sprayed through the air in the alley, raining over the men. Soji's grip on the ladder was quickly lost, as his body fell 15 feet, slamming against the ground.

**"SOJI!" **Sora yelled, in despair.

A loud thud was heard when his body hit the floor. The blood from the wound flowed onto the ground, running like a small puddle. The men began surrounding the body.

"Heh...nice aim."

"I'm sure Mr. Amana will be happy to hear that he's been retreived...we should return to the JDF Headquarters right now. Should we confiscate the Life Note?"

"Life Note...a bunch 'a bullshit, if you ask me."

"Who's to say?"

As the men finished their conversation, one of them threw Soji across his back, covering his body up with a large cloth that he pulled from a bag on his waist.

"We've got you...Soji Ikara."


End file.
